Friday, January 09, 2009

Parabasis: Should There Be A Cabinet-Level Arts Czar?:

The future of arts funding in America is not solely about increasing funding the NEA and State Arts Councils. It is instead about embedding the arts comprehensively throughout federal and state government agencies.  It's about arts based diplomacy at State, it's about using Community Development Block Grants to help with arts real estate issues, its about using the Small Business Administration to help new arts organizations start.  It's about different agencies having resident artists (did you know Laurie Anderson was NASA's resident artist for two years?).  It's about the Department of Education handling arts education.  Its about viewing art as a necessary part of society that's therefore integrated into the levers that make that society move.

1:00 PM