NEA-Annual-Report-1978.Pdf
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National Endowment for the Arts Washington, D.C. 20506 Dear Mr. President: I have the honor to submit to you the Annual Report of the National Endowment íor the Arts and the National Council on the Arts for the Fiscal Year ended September 30, 1978. Respectfully, Livingston L. Biddle, Jr. Chairman The President The White House Washington, D.C. September 1979 Contents Chairman’s Statement 2 The Agency and Its Functions 5 The Year in Review 7 Members, National Council on the Arts 16 Advisory Panel Members and Consultants 17 Grants by Programs 40 Architecture, Planning, and Design 40 Challenge Grants 56 Dance 69 Education 81 Expansion Arts 85 Federal-State Partnership 115 Folk Arts 125 Literature 134 Media Arts : Film/Radio/Television 151 ~useums 166 Music 193 Special Projects 216 Theater 228 Visual Arts 239 Financial Summary 268 History of Authorizations and Appropriations 269 2 Chairman’s Statement Unity... ~ t my nomination hearing, I spoke discussion was frank and, as it usually is Quality... in the arts world, passionate. At times it Aecess A nership" of a "lastingon behalf and ofdeveloping the arts part- be- might have appeared that the simultane tween the federal government and ously occurring negotiations at Camp the state and local governments. David were easier. But agreement finally I have watched very closely over many emerged on a steering committee or task years and with great delight the steady force to put together over the next six growth and maturation of the state agen months a program that would bring us all cies since I first had the opportunity to into better harmony and would assign draít the language that established the responsible roles for all concerned. basis for a partnership, in the legislation The quest for unity has led us into new we began preparing in the Senate in the initiatives with other federal agencies that early 1960s. Today, the state governments do have, or should have, programs that are providing close to $70 million to sup involve the arts. Take the newly proposed port the arts through their state agencies, "Livable Cities" program in the Depart compared with $4 million in the early days ment of Housing and Urban Development, of the Endowment. íor example. We know from our past pro Our relations--those of the Endowment grams that the arts can galvanize a com and the states--throughout that period munity, that they can provide a sudden have sometimes had more valleys than surge of electricity, a symbol of communal peaks .... But now we are beginning a pride or ethnic identity that can make the new chapter to develop a newly-consti difference between success or failure of tuted Federal-State Program carefully a community or neighborhood rehabilita worked out with you over many months, tion project. We also know that commu I look forward so much to a program nity revitalization is not, strictly speaking, aimed at strengthening our partnership, our primary business. It’s not that we andat sharing the decision-making proc don’t care. We care deeply. But with the ess .... That, and the recommendation of resources we have and are likely to have, NASAA, prompted me to establish a spe we can’t minister properly to the needs of cial committee of the National Council on the arts, let alone the wider needs of the the Arts to work directly with the state city or its neighborhoods. In short, it’s an leadership on our goals and on the prob instance where the problem is beyond our ]ems we face together in reaching them. power to solve but not beyond our ability In our search for unity, we are explor to provide intelligent help. ing new possibilities for cooperation with So we worked very hard on legislation state, community, and neighborhood arts to establish HUD’s "Livable Cities" pro groups. Just a week ago, a meeting was gram. I personally did a lot of ambulance held in Washington with representatives chasing, of putting out tires, of re-cement oí the national associations oí community ing coalitions to help achieve what was, and neighborhood arts organizations. The after all, a relatively miniscule $5 million Chairman’s Statement 3 speck on the elephant-sized $10 billion decisions by the panels is being threatened HUD budget. That small speck is really by the mounting application workload; a seed, however--one that can take root that too many applicants have not been and become a permanent part of the devel viewed by panelists; that some panels opment of our cities. Ir is also the first have become unwieldy; and that there is acknowledgment in law of the fact that confusion in the minds of some panelists the Endowment’s consultative role with about their duties and responsibilities. another federal agency is to be of value. The study recommended specific changes Ir sets, I believe, a major and important in panel structure and operations which precedent, we are in the process of assessing and then .Understanding is the first step toward effectuating. Most of these are of a tech unity, and unity is a message I have tried nical nature, yet they should have a major to convey in my travels to arts constitu- impact on improving the quality and fair encies around the country and in meetings ness of decision-making by the panels. In with arts groups at the Endowment. Ir is the coming year we are committed to mak a message I hope will not be misunder ing every effort to get panelists and con- stood. By unity, I do not mean uniformity, sultants to make on-site visits to all appli which is the death of art. I mean a unified cants. Judgments must not be made in the expression of priority for the arts. Un- dark or based solely on hearsay. less we "get our act together"--as artists, Now, somewhere in the past ten months, administrators, patrons, and appreciators I recall reading an article that suggested --we will rail by a long distance to fulfill I was given to spreading jam too thinly on our potential strength--and ir is immense rñy toast, or something to that effect. I ir ir is accomplished by uni~. think I understand what the writer was Among the first actions I took on be- trying to say: namely that federal funds coming Chairman oí the Endowment was for the arts are too limited to be spread to remove the ceilings on grants in all very lar without being wasted. Actually, the programs, leaving the matter in the I preferred what Congressman Clarence hands of the program panels. The test all Long of Maryland once told me at a hear- applicants for Endowment support must ing. "I never met a farmer," said Long, meet thus becomes the test of quality. Ir "who didn’t know that if you want to make a project of extraordinary merit is in need the crops grow you’ve got to spread the of funding, is it reasonable to dilute qual fertilizer over the whole field and not just ity asa standard by imposing an arbitrary pile ir in one corner." limit on support? What I’ve had great difficulty in ac Because the judgment of quality is so cepting is a íormulation that suggests an difficult, and doubly so in the arts, as you inverse ratio between quality and avail- know, we rely on our panels of acknowl ability in the arts. I would think it is just edged experts in the field for basic review the other way around. The more talented of applications and íor guidance in policy, artists there are producing, the greater The panel system is at the center of the the likelihood that something of merit will Endowment’s operations, and that is why be created. The larger the pool from whic.h I decided early on that we should take an they are drawn, the greater the chance a in-depth look at the way our panels are superior talent will emerge. functioning. Under the direction of Mary In any event, we are engaged in a major Ann Tighe, Deputy Chairman for Pro- effort to expand availability of the arts, grams, a lengthy study of the Endow- and to begin by broadening access to the ment’s panel operations is nearing com Endowment. That effort began by seeking pletion. Thus lar, the study has found, and then winning--with the invaluable among other things, that the quality of assistance of Mrs. Mondale---the largest 4 Chairman’s Statement budget increase in the history of the En of irreplaceability. It, too, should be re dowment, freshed from time to time by change. The This was followed by a major reorgani policy is that simple. Ir is not intended to zation of the Endowment under a manage reflect poorly on those who have served so ment team of three deputy chairmen and well. Itis a matter closely related to ac myself. David Searles was named senior cess. The rotation will be completed by the Deputy Chairman in charge of Policy and end of the year. Planning, and later of general administra Accessibility is also the governing prin tion as well. The Endowment’s grow~h ciple in a score or more of other changes had rendered the old management struc at the Endowment. They include installa ture outmoded, creating potential bottle tion of a new computer, enlarging our necks in the steady flow of needed deci capacity to store vital information and sions. The new system is designed to retrieve ir quickly for applicants, gran~ees, make ir easier to reach someone in author panels, for state agencies, the National ity at the Endowment.