National Endowment for the Arts Annual Report 1983
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National Endowment for the Arts National Endowment for the Arts Washington, D.C. Dear Mr. President: I have the honor to submit to you the Annual Report of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Council on the Arts for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 1983. Respectfully, Frank Hodsoll Chairman The President The White House Washington, D.C. March 1984 Contents Chairman’s Statement 2 The Agency and Its Functions 6 The National Council on the Arts 7 Programs 8 Dance 10 Design Arts 36 Expansion Arts 52 Folk Arts 72 Inter-Arts 86 Literature 100 Media Arts: Film/Radio/Television 116 Museum 134 Music 166 Opera-Musical Theater 214 Theater 224 Visual Arts 248 Office for Public Partnership 266 Artists in Education 268 State Programs 274 Office for Private Partnership 278 Challenge 280 Advancement 286 Office of Policy, Planning, and Research 290 Fellowship Program ~for Arts Managers 293 International 296 Research 299 Special Constituencies 302 Appendix 306 Statement of Mission 309 Touring and Presenting Policy Statement 311 Financial Summary 314 History of Authorizations and Appropriations 315 Chairman’s Statement The descriptions of the 5,247 grants listed in this An that the National Endowment has "been a strong nual Report 1983 represent the rich variety of ar catalyst in providing matching grants, advocacy, and tistic creativity taking place throughout the country. information." They are testimony to the central importance of the Based on the advice of the National Council on the arts in American life and to the fundamental fact that Arts, we have recently adopted a Mission Statement the arts are not only alive, but in many cases, (see Appendix) that defines our role as a partner in flourishing. support of the arts in this country. The Mission State Let me reaffn’m certain basic principles: ment summarizes the purpose of the Endowment in ¯ Support of the arts is "primarily a matter for two simple phrases: private and local initiative." This felicitous phrase ¯ To foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality from the declaration of purpose in our enabling of the arts in the United States; and statute underscores Congressional recognition that ¯ To help broaden the availability and appre arts support has historically been and should re ciation of such excellence, diversity, and vitality. main largely a matter of private, local concern. Our The first of these goals is simpler to achieve: to unique American system has drawn thousands of identify the best of our nation’s artists and arts our citizens into the role of patron. No single voice organizations and provide them with some level of or set of tastes dominates. The vitality and plur support and federal recognition based on peer alism of the arts in America would be undermined review. This is done directly through our single- and if this broad nature of support tilted too far in one multiple-discipline programs in order to assist the direction or was left ~n the hands of too few deci creation, production, presentation/exhibition, and sion makers. preservation of art of the highest level and of national ¯ There is, nonetheless, an appropriate role for or regional significance. the Federal Government. We should, through the The second goal, availability and appreciation, re Endowment, continue our role of enhancing and quires a strategy that over time will reach all strengthening excellence in, access to, and ap Americans. What is at stake here is nothing less than preciation of the arts. In performing our mission, the completeness of the American spirit. Understand we will continue our efforts to encourage new and ing and appreciation of art in our society is an essen increased non-federal support--public and private. tial part of understanding what it is to be an ¯ The Endowment’s decision making is based American. In both of these efforts, we will need to primarily on the principle of peer panel review and work closely with our public partners: the state and advice from the National Council on the Arts. This local arts agencies. system has served the public interest, creating Let me now turn to some of the specific efforts we both the fact and the appearance of due process. are undertaking to achieve our mission. We aff’n~n again the importance of this review system. Recognition Let me also affn’m this administration’s commit We believe the Endowment must continue to exer ment to the work of the Endowment. President cise leadership in recognizing excellence wherever Reagan remarked last May: "... We support the we find it, particularly in those areas where recogni work of the National Endowment for the Arts to tion is not so easily attained. I speak specifically of stimulate excellence and make art more available to the experimental, seldom performed or exhibited, more of our people... The Endowment also en ethnic, and longer-term. courages private support. We owe a great deal of In May 1983, the President and Mrs. Reagan rec thanks to the members of the National Council on ognized six artists and six patrons of the arts at the the Arts..." More recently, Vice President Bush White House. During a luncheon organized by the said in an address to the Business Council on the Arts President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities, Chairman’s Statement 3 the President asked me to explore with the Congress place and the different interests of the different the possibility of creating a national medal in the arts. parties (see Appendix). We have been working with the Congress to estab ¯ In Dance, we are beginning (in partnership lish such a medal, which would be presented by with the Rockefeller Foundation and Exxon) a new Presidents to outstanding artists and patrons for project to provide dance company residencies for their contributions to artistic excellence. The Na new choreographers. This is particularly needed tional Council on the Arts, the Endowment’s prin in the field of ballet. cipal advisory body would recommend the artists and ¯ In Theater, we are undertaking a new initia patrons to be honored. tive to strengthen the use of ongoing ensembles. The artistic benefits of a repertory company Programs system, like the Royal Shakespeare Company, are In the disciplines, we have been looking for longer- recognized. While this effort will not be appropriate term opportunities that can help the various fields for all theaters, it will enable some theaters to ex to move forward. We have completed nine meetings pand the potential of theater artists (actors, ac with experts in dance, design, media, music, opera- tresses, directors, set designers, etc.) to work musical theater, state and local arts support, theater, together over time on different artistic touring and presenting, and visual arts. Based on productions. these meetings and advice from both our panels and Partnership the National Council on the Arts, I would note the following: We have strengthened, and will continue to ¯ Our Design Arts Program has been revised to strengthen, our public and private partnership ef concentrate more on advocacy, particularly with forts. Some of these are reflected in my description regard to the economic benefits that accrue from of program initiatives: good design and cultural facilities, development of The Local Arts Agencies Initiative: At the En design competitions, and adaptive reuse of aban dowment’s last reauthorization, Congress empha doned public buildings (e.g., schools, railway sta sized the need for the Endowment to address in some tions, etc.). concrete way the local nature of the arts. This issue ¯ We have increased emphasis on the Challenge had already been the subject of extensive discussion and Advancement Programs to assist capital for with our partners, the state and local agencies, and mation to permit arts institutions to achieve a the National Council on the Arts. We have made a greater capacity to take risks and produce their beginning by establishing the Test Program of Sup general repertoire with excellence. These pro port for Local Arts Agencies (approved in November grams are coordinated by our Deputy for Private 1982). The Test Program is designed to test the abili Partnership. ty of the Endowment to leverage sustainable in ¯ We are continuing to provide funding to assist creases in local government support for the arts, im the independent production of feature films and prove the processes for administering these monies programming in the arts by public television. With at the local level, and improve planning (both among the American Film Institute, we have started a state and local public agencies and among arts institu new and comprehensive initiative to deal with the tions and their private supporters). problem of film preservation. We are exploring a In June, this program received 43 applications in similar effort in the area of video preservation. volving 212 local arts agencies from 27 states. The ¯ We have begun an effort to supplement our Local Test Program Advisory Panel met in Sep national fellowship programs (in Visual Arts and tember and recommended for funding six State-Local Media Arts) with regional fellowships to provide Partnership Grant applications and five Direct recognition and support of artists in all parts of the Grants to local arts agencies. These 11 Fiscal 1984 country. grants were recommended at the November 1983 ¯ To assist connections between artists and com meeting of the National Council on the Arts. mercially controlled distribution and exhibition Efforts in Arts Education: The need for improved systems, we have instituted a program to publish arts education (kindergarten through twelfth grade) short stories in ten daily newspapers. We hope to has emerged as a priority in virtually every artistic supplement this with the best of the nonprofit list discipline area.