Reaching Millions with Art the NE A’S Support for Film, Television, and Radio
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NEA ARTSVOL 1 2009 Reaching Millions with Art The NE A’s Support for Film, Television, and Radio 11 Caught in the Act: Great 13 Sowing Seeds: NEA’s Support 15 NEA New Play Development Performances Brings the for Independent Filmmaking Program Selections Performing Arts into American through AFI and Sundance Homes NEA ARTS Preserving and Presenting Furthering the Public’s Access to the Arts Film, radio, and television —the media arts—have been a Programming in the high priority at the National Endowment for the Arts Arts, which since 1999 (NEA) almost from the start of the agency. In fact, one has been known as the of the most signiRcant early initiatives taken by the Arts Arts on Radio and Tele - Endowment was the creation, in 1967, of the American vision. In supporting Film Institute to conserve America’s precious cinematic the work of media arts heritage. For several years the AFI was funded entirely N organizations, inde - E L L A by the NEA, serving in ePect as the Arts Endowment’s N pendent Rlmmakers, I V E K Rlm program. Y local exhibitors, and B O T During the chairmanship of Nancy Hanks, the NEA O national broadcasters H P began to look toward expanding its media programs Media Arts Director Ted Libbey. through its Media Arts beyond Rlm preservation. In 1970 it established the program, the NEA has Public Media program, forerunner of today’s Media Arts aQrmed the value that Rlm, radio, and television have as program, and in 1972 it created the funding category art forms in and of themselves, and has recognized the enormously important role the media play in furthering \U`Z]\U[ V]a\VZ[ ]\ `YW U^`_ the public’s access to, and appreciation of, all the arts. Patrice Walker Powell Acting Chairman Oe range of media arts activity supported by the James Ballinger Miguel Campaneria Arts Endowment has been very broad. From the mid- Ben Donenberg JoAnn Falletta 1970s until the late 1990s the NEA played a leading role Lee Greenwood in funding new work by independent Rlmmakers. It Joan Israelite Charlotte Kessler continues to fund the creation of works on Rlm, mainly Bret Lott documentaries, through grants to nonproRt organiza - Jerry Pinkney Stephen Porter tions. It funds the exhibition of Rlm and video art at Barbara Ernst Prey Frank Price dozens of festivals around the country and assists organ - Terry Teachout izations across the media spectrum in providing services Karen Wolff such as workshops for youth, professional training, and Wc-]XXZVZ] access to equipment and facilities. It continues to sup - Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT) Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) port Rlm, video, and audio preservation ePorts, and Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) Rep. Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) plays a major part in sustaining the nation’s leading radio and television broadcast series devoted to the arts, \WU U^`_ _`UXX Paulette Beete Editor which include such well known programs as Great Per - Don Ball Managing Editor Ted Libbey, Rebecca Ritzel, formances, Performance Today, and From the Top. Elizabeth Stark Contributors Oe articles which follow highlight not only the Beth Schlenoff Design scope of the NE A’s involvement in the media arts, but ]\ `YW V]bW^: the extraordinary beneRts its media grants deliver to the Members of the Polaris Quartet, a student group from the Music American people. Institute of Chicago, rehearse before a From the Top show taped in Indianapolis, Indiana. The musicians are (left to right): violinists Andrea Jarrett and Vince Meklis, cellist Gabriel Cabezas, and violist Ted Libbey Matthew Lipman. Photo by Lisa Utzinger Director, Media Arts 2 NEA ARTS Reaching Millions with Art Oe NE A’s Support for Film, Radio, and Television In the technological age of the 21st century, media has reporters, and audio artists from the U.S. and abroad to a larger inSuence than ever before. From Rlm to radio share their expertise and best work. Arts on Radio and to television to DVDs and the Internet, the media peo - Television grants support the development, production, ple use to connect with their world has been growing at and national distribution of radio and television pro - a furious rate. Now one can reach millions of people grams that highlight the spectrum of arts disciplines. easily with a program shown on television or broadcast ETV Endowment of South Carolina, for example, has on the Internet. Oat’s why the media has become so received Arts Endowment support for its radio series important in the creation and presentation of art. headlined by NEA Jazz Master Marian McPartland. In 1967, the Arts Endowment awarded four public Reaching more than 400,000 listeners each week, Marian media grants totaling $788,300 “in support of a range of McPartland’s Piano Jazz has featured nearly 600 jazz educational television programs in the arts.” As the pro - artists ranging from NEA Jazz Masters Sarah Vaughan gram grew, the Arts Endowment seeded many Sedgling and Benny Carter to emerging artists over the last two organizations that are now household names, such as decades. Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute, which continues Oe NEA has also identiRed critical needs in the to receive NEA support for its Feature Film Program, a media arts Reld. For instance, when hundreds of early series of workshops for Rlm professionals. Media Arts American motion pictures, such as Charlie Chaplin’s grants support a range of activities, such as production 1921 Rlm <e Kid, were imperiled because they were work, preservation, festivals, residencies, and work - printed on unstable nitrate Rlm stock, the Arts Endow - shops. Chicago Public Radio, for example, received NEA ment partnered with the Ford Foundation and the support for its annual Oird Coast International Audio Motion Picture Association of America to create and Festival, which convenes documentarians, feature fund the American Film Institute to preserve these his - toric works. Oe NEA also partnered with the Ford Foundation to deal with another media problem: the proper lighting for recording live performances. Oe partner - ship provided research and design funding to adapt low-light cameras for theatrical use, making it possible to record live perform - ances for rebroadcast without disruption. Oe following pages proRle just a few of the catalytic Media Arts projects supported by the NEA: a Rlmmaking residency for young people, a Midwestern Rlm festival, a H O G A public television series about contemporary S I L E M visual artists, a radio and television series Y B O T that introduces young classical musicians to O H P new audiences, a documentary Rlm about NEA Jazz Master Ramsey Lewis being interviewed by Marian McPartland (herself an NEA Jazz Master) on her radio show, Marian international adoption, and a prominent museum’s lead - McPartland’s Piano Jazz. ership role in Rlm preservation. 3 NEA ARTS Film Stars Cleveland Presents an International Film Festival Cleveland, Ohio, may be better known for its orchestra, to the Cleveland festival. “Oere’s great cachet from get - but many residents consider the Cleveland International ting money from the NEA,” Goodman said. Film Festival (CIFF) a local treasure. Since 1977, when Local cineastes aren’t CIFF’s only fans: the Academy the festival screened just eight Rlms, Executive Director of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently named it Marcie Goodman and her staP have been committed to as a qualifying festival in the category of Short Films, presenting foreign and independent Rlms that might meaning that CIFF Best Live Action Short Film and Best never make it to a Midwestern multiplex. To be sure, the Animated Short Film awardees may qualify as Oscar festival has booked its share of art house hits—including nominees. the 2008 documentary Young @ Heart —but the majority But perhaps the greatest testament to the festival’s of movies screened at the festival would never see a popularity are the more than 3,000 people who bundled Cleveland marquee, Goodman said. up and braved a late-winter blizzard to attend screenings For its Rrst 14 years, the festival hosted screenings at at the 2008 festival’s opening weekend. Many of those a variety of theaters in the metro area. In 1991, Tower moviegoers spent the night in Cleveland’s Public Square, City Cinemas became the festival’s permanent home. trapped by some 15 inches of snow that fell while they Since 2006, festival admissions have held steady at were indoors watching Jump, <e Flight of the Red 52,000. In 2008, the festival received an NEA Access to Balloon, and In Search of a Midnight Kiss. Artistic Excellence grant to support its programming: “It’s sort of like a badge of courage,” said Goodman. more than 130 features and some 160 shorts. Features “To this day, people say, ‘I was there during the blizzard .’ ” are selected mostly by CIFF’s artistic planning staP, while volunteers select the best from the 1,000 shorts submitted in response to a call for entries. Festival administrators work with educators and community leaders to plan awards and related programming. In 2008, more than 5,000 schoolchildren attended mati - nee screenings and talkbacks. CIFF also partnered with a local library to bring in Michael Cunningham, author of <e Hours. ATer accept - ing the festival’s new From Page to K E Projector Award for writing novels N A R F A that successfully transfer to the big J M I T screen, Cunningham declared the Y B O T honor his favorite, other than “this O H thingy called the Pulitzer Prize.” P Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Michael Cunningham accepts the Oese educational ePorts and community partnerships Cleveland International Film Festival’s 2008 From Page to Projector are two reasons why the NEA consistently awards grants Award from Marcie Goodman, the festival’s executive director.