Culture Chronicle

Arts Advocates Head to Capitol Hill to Ask Congress for Bigger NEA Budget
Los Angeles Times - April 8, 2010
By Mike Boehm

It's time again for the national arts establishment's annual choreographed visit to Capitol Hill in an attempt to gain Congress' ear -- and its favor in coming budget deliberations.

For Tuesday's "Arts Advocacy Day," actors Kyle McLachlan and Jeff Daniels will fill the famous-folks slot among those testifying at a congressional hearing on the arts.

Last year, Linda Ronstadt, Wynton Marsalis and Josh Groban were the celebrity artillery in the push coordinated by Americans for the Arts, a leading arts lobbying and support group. The bottom-line results weren't negligible. Advocates proposed a $200-million annual budget for the National Endowment for the Arts, and Congress did ultimately up President Obama's $161.3-million ante for the arts, passing a $167.5-million NEA appropriation. That 8.1% hike (compared with Obama's proposed increase of about 4%) came amid a dismal economy and on top of a one-time $50-million boost for the NEA to make job-creating grants, part of last year's economic stimulus bill. For the full article, click here