Maryland Citizens for the Arts

You have a long history of support for the Arts in Maryland. The state legislature, by mandating that Maryland's 1995 arts appropriation of 7.8 million - a whopping - $1.8 million increase - becoming the new floor for future appropriations, has proven that wisdom and vision endure if not in the nation's capital, at least in Maryland's capital.

The optimism that greets this day in Maryland is dampened only by storm clouds over Washington. Critics of the National Endowment for the Arts threaten legislation to privatize the agency - that is zero out our appropriations - or to severely cut our budget or replace the current system of federal/state partnership with block grants to the states. The charge I hear over and over is that we exist simply for the cultural elite.

I ask you just who is this elite? Are the artists such as the choreographers who make $4,800 a year the elite? Are the writers who make so little at their art that they must teach the elite? Are the children in inner city Baltimore who attend School 33 the cultural elite? Are the million of Marylanders who tune into Maryland Public Television the elite? It seems to me that if those who benefit from Endowment funding are the elite, then that's a might large elite. Is that what are critics mean, or do they mean simply those with whom they disagree? Elitism is exclusionary. The fact is that funding from the NEA has made the arts more available to wider audiences than ever before. That's our mission: to serve the American people. Rather the arts for the few, we have worked toward bringing the best art to the most people.

Our critics then argue that art should simply compete in the marketplace and that there's no need for public support. The fact is that the live arts are not so easily mass-produced. A play or an opera or a symphony changes, even if only slightly, with each performance. While we should be proud of our popular culture - our great movies, television programs, books, design and the like, we should not be limited by that which succeeds in the marketplace. New ideas struggle to be heard. We can be inspired by the most challenging arts that can reach the public only through the non-profit system.

Our critics then suggest that the states can do this work alone and that the Endowment's role should be to award block grants. In states where the legislature understands the importance of culture to the quality of life, the economy and the future that has some appeal on the face of it. Maryland, for example, is strong. Virginia, on the other hand, wants to eliminate funding for the arts altogether. Yet some people suggest both states do equally well. I don't think so.

Furthermore such a scheme would defeat the work we have all put in these past 30 years. The strength of arts funding in the United States is in the interlocking partnership for the arts. There is a delicate balance among local, state, regional and federal public agencies and with the private sector. Take away one of these partners, and the whole enterprise is likely to tumble like a house of cards.

First, there is no national leadership. Efforts that we have spearheaded over the past 30 years might dissipate. I'm talking about things like arts education reform, preservation of our folk and traditional arts, expanding the arts into underserved and rural areas, individual artist fellowships, access to the arts for people with disabilities, regional tours of dance, music, theatre and museum exhibitions. Basic research that serves the entire nation would go undone.

Cut of the head, and fifty state arts agencies will scramble and compete with one another for private sector support. Without the Endowment's leadership, the private sector would have a more difficult choice when deciding which projects to support. We have the system and mechanism in place to give an imprimatur on arts projects. As you know, with this endorsement and seed money, arts institutions find it easier to attract private support. Without this national recognition, it would be more difficult to raise funds.

And it would be easier for some state legislatures to follow suit and simply abolish their own state arts agencies. Maybe not Maryland, but other states assuredly. Without public sector support, many of our major arts institutions would be hit hard. Museums would have to shut their doors a few days a week. Theater companies would cut back from six new plays a year to five. Small and emerging arts organizations would fail in many cases. Schools would have to cut back even further in arts education programs. The biggest losers in all of this would be the people. Without the network of partners for the arts, there would be less art in our towns and cities.

Just when we need it the most, there would be less art for spiritual renewal of our communities. Just when we need the arts to provide alternatives to despair for our inner city children, our critics want less. Jest when the arts are primed to help move us into a creative future on the information superhighway, our critics want less.

This debate isn't about reinventing government. You don't throw away programs that work. This debate isn't about the elites and privileged. You know the arts give insights, perception and opportunities for individual creativity in us all. This debate isn't about controversy or waste. You know that the number of grants that cause problems is small. You know that the amount of money we invest is miniscule and that there is no waster at the
NEA because there's nothing left to waste.

This debate is about how we perceive the federal government. Is it a function of our federal government to nurture and sustain America's culture? Can we each afford 64 cents - the price of two postage stamps - on our quality of life, our creativity, our culture? We spend billions a year ion defending this country against all enemies, but what are we protecting? We are protecting what it means to be American, and I would contend that a big part of that definition is in our art, dance, music, design, literature, drama, our traditions and our new American works. We must fight for that vision.

This is a very human story that everyone needs to hear. So let your voices ring out.