,.,,oo., ~ndowm~nt for the Arts Annual 21vent~etla Anniversary 1965-1985 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, 1984. Respectfully, Frank Hodsoll Chairman The President The White House Washington, D.C. March 1985 Contents Chairman’s Statement 1 The Agency and Its Functions 4 The National Council on the Arts 5 Programs 7 Dance 9 Design Arts 27 Expansion Arts 37 Folk Arts Inter-Arts 7 l Literature 87 Media Arts: Film/Radio/Television 103 Museum 119 Music 157 Opera-Musical Theater 201 Theater 213 Visual Arts 229 Office for Public Partnership 247 Artists in Education 249 Locals Test Program 255 State Programs 259 Office for Private Partnership 263 Challenge 265 Advancement 271 Office of Policy, Planning, and Research 275 Fellowship Program for Arts Managers 277 International 279 Research 281 Special Constituencies 283 Appendix 285 Statement of Mission 286 Advisory Panels 287 Financial Summary 303 History of Authorizations and 304 Appropriations Once again, the descriptions of the 5,110 grants grantmaking. We have focused on grants and listed in this Annual Report 1984 reflect the ex­ discussion which might in time effect "changes of traordinary diversity of artistic activity taking state" in the arts. By "changes of state," I mean place throughout the country. We are fortunate, improvements of long-term duration which signif­ indeed, to have the variety of excellence that we icantly enhance the capacities of {1) artists and do. arts institutions to create, produce, pre­ Since our 1983 Annual Report, we have com­ sent/exhibit and preserve the best art, and of pleted a Five-Year Planning Document (1986¢ audiences and the general public to have access to 1990}. While this effort represents justa first step and appreciate art. in systematic planning at the Endowment, it has Thus, the Theater Program now has an On­ begun the process of providing a framework going Ensembles category ¡to assist groups of within which policy, program, and budget deci­ theater artists working together over time}; the sions can be made. In cross cut, the Planning Challenge Program is emphasizing the balance Document discusses the arts {artists and arts in­ sheet las opposed to the operating statement}; the stitutions}, audiences (present and future}, sup­ Advancement Program {to improve the planning port of the arts, and recognition of the arts and and development capacities of less established their supporters. Since its publication, the issue arts organizations} has been extended to all our of art criticism has also arisen as a concern, programs; the Dance Program is supporting It seems to me that it might be useful to sum­ choreographer residencies; the Opera-Musical marize in this 1984 Annual Report some of the Theater Program now has a Producer Grants salient findings {problems and opportunities) and category; the Folk Arts Program assists state some of the Endowment’s efforts to deal with arts agencies to fund folk arts apprenticeships; these, coupled with a look to the future, the Media Program has helped the American Film Institute to establish a new National Center The Arts for Film and Television Preservation; and the Visual Arts Program has instituted regional The artist labor force grew by 47 percent in the fellowships for visual artists. We have also com­ ’70s, with the proportion of women and minor­ missioned a study on how to develop group in­ ities increasing substantially in relation to the surance rates for individual artists. overall artist population. The artist labor force We will continue these efforts in the future, by also shifted geographically, with the South (in­ placing increasing emphasis on projects that cluding Texas) rapidly becoming the region with have the potential to effect "changes of state." the most artists living within it. At the same We will be looking to the fields for counsel on time, artist compensation declined 37% in real this. And, we will be looking to state and local terms in the ’70s. This compares with a decline in arts agencies for advice as to where changes of real terms of only 8% for professional workers as state can be accomplished at the regional, state, a whole, and local levels. The Planning Document cites an Endowment sponsored study to the effect that arts institu­ Audiences tions generally ended the decade of the ’70s bet­ ter off financially than they began it. But it also The Planning Document notes that attendance at raises the potential problem of "artistic deficit:" nonprofit professional theaters increased from 1 it is possible that arts institutions may be achiev­ million in 1965 to 13 million in 1983; at symphony ing financial stability at the expense of the art orchestra concerts from 10.5 million to almost 23 forms and that there may be less adventureous­ million; at opera performances from 4.6 million (in ness, skimpier productions, anda loss of divers­ the 1969-70 season) to 11 million (in the 1981-82 ity. (We have commissioned a preliminary study season). Dance, which in 1965 had an audience of in this respect.) approximately 1 million 180% based in New York At the Endowment, we have in the past three City), now claims attendance of 16 million in most years emphasized in our discipline Programs ar­ parts of the country. tistic excellence as the principal criterion for But the Planning Document also notes that ~ ~hainnan’s 8tatement 61% of the adult population in 1982 did not at- tributions to cultural activities increased to $4.08 tend a single jazz, classical music, opera, billion, an increase of 36% and $1 billion over musical/operetta, theatrical, or ballet perfor- 1981. Individuals continued in 1983 to provide mance; or visit an art museum or gallery, the bulk of this support. In addition, state arts Further, in terms of education, 53% of the adult agency support of the arts grew 45.7% from population have had no instruction in music; FY81 to $160.6 million in FY85. While our own 76%, no visual arts; 91%, no theater; 93%, no budget remains constrained by current and pro- ballet; and 82%, no creative writing And, the jected federal deficits, the Endowmentcontinues "arts experiences" of most people are dominated to enjoy bipartisan Presidential and Congres­ by the commerce of popular music, television, sional support. movies, and commercial publishing. Greater ap- Further, with the upturn in the economy, there preciation of a wider variety of cultural expres- is anecdotal evidence that ticket sales íor the sion is needed. But, opportunities for artistic ex- seasons oí performing arts institutions are also cellence outside the major artistic centers are picking up. In fact, ticket revenues for nonprofit limited, as is access generally to the electronic and performing arts institutions grew 9% in real publishing exhibition and distribution networks, dollars in 1983. The question, however, remains We have in this respect initiated new projects whether these increased resources are providing to encourage greater and more varied presenta- greater variety and greater artistic excellence, or tion of dance, to increase production and touring whether they are becoming increasingly concen­ of experimental work, to provide access to daily trated on more popular fare. newspapers for writers of short stories, to As noted, we have increased Endowment re- facilitate discussion of the planning and preserva- sources available to the Challenge Program and tion problems of small towns ¡the Main Street extended the Advancement Program to all dis- Program), and to encourage arts education IK-12) ciplines. And, in Expansion Arts, we have, in con­ asa basic in elementary and secondary schools, junction with the President’s Committee on the Our efforts in arts education are particularly Arts and the Humanities, initiated a new effort to important in that they entail an attempt to in- stimulate permanent funds in community founda­ crease the comfort level and literacy of future tions to be made available to emerging arts in- adult Americans in a variety of artistic expres- stitutions. The Local Arts Agencies Test Pro­ sions. These efforts include a partnership with gram has gotten off to a good start, with $4 the Getty Trust to develop television program- millon in federal funds being matched by $15.5 ming in the arts for young people, and partner- million in new publicly appropriated funds. In ad- ship efforts with the education community ¡in- dition, we have been able to develop new public­ cluding the Chief State School Oíficers and the private partnerships on a variety of projects of College Board) to encourage systematic and se- national significance. quential arts education in the schools. We plan in the future to strengthen the com- In the future, we will be exploring how access munity foundation effort and continue our to a variety of art in less populated regions can be Challenge Program effort. We will be evaluating improved. We are also investigating how the ex- the Advancement program to see whether the cellent products of our Programming in the Arts current framework for this program is optimal; public television series can be made more broadly there are difficulties with administering technical available aíter their initial showings. We will be assistance to a variety of smaller arts organiza­ looking to see whether model school districts can tions. We will also begin an evaluation of the be encouraged to adopt arts education asa basic Local Arts Agencies Test Program to see where (K-12), with curricula and resources being struc- this program might go ir ir were to become per­ tured by grade levels to achieve tested competen- manent.