National Endowment for the Arts in the 2000s

Federal government agency responsible for supporting visual and performing arts, literature, and arts education

During much of the 2000s, the National Endowment for the Arts operated under a severely limited budget and restrictions imposed by the US Congress. Despite these difficulties, the agency worked to raise the literacy rate and bring cultural programs to underserved populations through a variety of projects.

The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) began the 2000s with a budget of $97.6 million, down from a peak of nearly $176 million in 1992. Drastic cuts took place during the late 1990s as part of a congressional initiative to decrease government spending. In addition to decreasing the agency’s budget, Congress prohibited the NEA from funding individual visual artists, a decision based on the controversial nature of certain previous NEA-funded visual art projects, and stipulated that more federal funds be given to state art agencies and used for arts education.

In 2001, NEA chair Bill Ivey transferred leadership to Michael Hammond, who died unexpectedly only a week after taking the position. Dana Gioia succeeded him as chair and worked within these limitations to implement new programs that carried out the mission of the NEA without being divisive. One of the first initiatives introduced during Gioia’s tenure was Shakespeare in American Communities, a program of professionally produced plays that brought classic theater to underserved communities, including Native American reservations. Another program, Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience, a partnership between the NEA and the Department of Defense, sponsored creative writing workshops and literary projects for returning veterans. American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius featured music, dance, and theatrical performances; visual art exhibits; and educational programs that emphasized the contributions of minorities. Poetry Out Loud, a collaboration with the Poetry Foundation, encouraged an appreciation for poetry among high school students, while The Big Read brought communities together to enjoy quality books and worked to combat the falling literacy rate.

By 2008, the NEA’s budget had increased to $144 million, but the economic recession of the period affected funding and limited new initiatives by Gioia’s successor, Rocco Landesman. However, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included a $50 million appropriation to save jobs in the arts, bringing the NEA’s projected budget for 2010 to $167.5 million.

Impact

The programs funded by the NEA during the 2000s tended to feature noncontroversial subjects and themes and shifted from serving mostly city-based organizations to benefiting a broader cross-section of the population. A number of these initiatives remained active into the next decade, continuing to promote the arts and arts education throughout the United States.

National Endowment for the Arts Funding

Source: U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, Annual Report, and U.S. National Endowment for the Humanities, Annual Report.

Bibliography

Binkiewicz, Donna. Federalizing the Muse. Chapel Hill: U of North Carolina P, 2004. Print.

McCarter, Jeremy. “Will Act for Food.” Newsweek 19 Jan. 2009: 48. Print.