National Endowment for the Arts: News Articles Education: National Endowment for the Arts and (1980) Humanities, Subject Files II (1962-1996)
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University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI National Endowment for the Arts: News Articles Education: National Endowment for the Arts and (1980) Humanities, Subject Files II (1962-1996) 1979 National Endowment for the Arts: News Articles (1980): Article 05 Michael Straight Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_II_49 Recommended Citation Straight, Michael, "National Endowment for the Arts: News Articles (1980): Article 05" (1979). National Endowment for the Arts: News Articles (1980). Paper 19. http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_II_49/19http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/pell_neh_II_49/19 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Education: National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities, Subject Files II (1962-1996) at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in National Endowment for the Arts: News Articles (1980) by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected]. "''k<'~~--"-'"· --· .. ·~--·..'.--~·-~·-------· ....... ... ' .. : .1 ?.,_, .'. IC:. 1<"1 R!SG ..4 This r~:ett"!f 'i c comrnercial enterprise in iupµ:.1 of to;, ans. \'cu lll<IY receive 24 ~Ir . issues. vio fi~t Chlss Po$tc~e. ior an """""' st.:b~!'rc~icn :"'l~e cf 542. Bu; rates \Jr! avoi:ohle °" ~·Jo:SI. Ali ri!)hrs raserlled. · September 17, 19 79 - Number 225 fact foncerning the Straight memory of four paragraphs of the chapter to the the early years, but it would be only Top Story struggles of Presidents Truman and historically interesting. For instance, he Kennedy to begin the legislative process implies that Roger Stevens spent a lot Book Review which would lead tp federal support for of money starting new and unneeded the arts. He fails to mention the massive institutions. He says five theatres were Twigs for an Eagles Nest: Reflections resistance in the Congress from the expensively established and none of them on the National Endowment for the Arts conservatives, which included at that time survive today. The facts are that three or a Senator Nixon and a Cong. Gerald theatres were funded with Office of Edu Twigs for an Eagle's Nest: Government Ford. cation money primarily, only two of and the Arts In the fifth paragraph Michael de which were new institutions. Already 1965-1978 scribes how President Johnson managed established was the Trinity Square Com by Michael Straight to succeed where others faile<l. "Presi pany in Providence, R.l., which was Devon Press: Berkeley, New York: 1979 dent Johnson sent the bill creating the given the impetus to succeed until this $5.95 181 pages (National) Council (On the Arts) back very moment. Another was the Inner The last line of the book long prom to the Congress. There it g:ithere<l dust City Cultural Center which is still suc ised by Michael Straight, former Deputy until Howard Smitl1, Chairman of the cessful in Los Angeles, though it no Chairman of the N .E.A., is the best line: House Rules Committee, was satisfied longer receives OE money. The third "It meant first of all freeing myself from that a companion bill creating an arts theatre sur\rived for several years in New envy arid regret." Apparently, he hasn 'r endowment woul<l be forsaken by its Orleans under Stewart Vaughn, but lost envy & regret in the process of writ sponsors. They gave in as they had to in it is now defunct. The book is sprinkled ing this terribly uneven account of the the end and in August 1964 the Council with such errors. Nancy Hanks years. The Roger Stevens was created. It was given all of $50,000 The facts are that Michael Straight years and the Liv Bi<ldle mon i.hs are to carry it through the remainder of the had nothing at all to do with the passage thrown in for bad measure against the fiscal year. It was to have been given of legislation creating either the National good measure of his tenure. 1 must say S 150,000 but somewhere in the legis Council on the Arts, the NEA, or the at the beginning of this review that I lative shuffle, the sum of $100,000 was NEH, or the early days of the agencies, viewed the launching of the NEA from mislaid.'' He has grossly mis-stated and by impli a tenuous perch in the pilot-house and I was workLrig with Roger Stevens in cation maligned the people who gave consequently have an extremely inti the White House at the time and Liv generously of their efforts and lives to mate memory of the period. I'm also Diddle was the "arts" aide ·to Sen. Pell sec those bills through to success, and the probably prejudic~J about L~ose times, on the Hill. None of us recall Straight's agencies begun on a high level of effec as :Michael is abo<1t his own yc3rs of ser version. The facts are that Roger Stevens tiveness. He owes an apology to Presi vice. However, I can't remember Michael found a wedge to pry the bill out from dent Johnson, Larry O'Brien, RQger being involved in the form:ition of the under Chairman Smith, hold lhc vote Stevens, Liv Biddle, Sen. Claibourne NEA in person, or in :my other way. I until the last minute before the Demo ~ Rep. Frank Thompson, and many checked with Roger Stevens, who was cratic Convention of 1964 with Co11g. members of the early National Council, involved as far back as 1961 with the Frank Thompson's help, and then push to name a few. He is entitled to an opin Kennedy Administration, and he has no it through. The Eastern liberal Republi· ion, but not to a distortion of the facts. recollection. As for the Biddle months, can members were the key votes. Abe Perhaps I should stop here and quote a I happen to know Michael has had no .Fortas helped with sound advice. favorable review to balance my rather contact. Further, none of the definit~. Furtlrer, it wasn't $100,000 that was negative reaction. The only other opinion broad statements about either the Stevens mislaid in the shuffle, it was the phrase available to me is one provided by the or Biddle regimes are documented in any "per annum" in the bill signed by Presi publisher. It's John Blaine's quote as way; no footnotes, no references to dent Johnson. We were given SS0,000 used by Devon Press: "It's wonderful! official documents, noH1ing but inac forever instead of one year; when it was The stories are so funny and masterfully curate, sweeping statements that diminish gone the Council was without future told ... Your book will be a delight to the defenseless and do not do credit to monies. It was therefore imperative that many -your honesty, wit, and thought· the author. an Endowment be created at (ince. fulncss will be an inspiration." Yzt, he calls his first ch:ipter "Present It would be a simple matter to go on AnJ in many ways filaine is right, in at the Creation." He devores the first and point out any number 0f errors of my opinion. Michael is a marvelous ·~ writer~d a superb and subtle story of 'partnership' was frequently employed, the author and the Chairman of the teller. But he is no scholar, and in this by myself among others, the reality of NEA come through clearly in favor of book at least seems to have no view shared power was usually withheld." pragmatism; and a worthwhile project point. For example, he writes a long essay However, he sees the states as represent was killed when devotion to literature about how he and Nancy Hanks avoided ing mediocrity and the NEA as the cham would have merely demanded some re political pressure from all sides and pion of artistic quality. As the states form of approach. how important it is for the arts to remain grew more resentful over programs con The truly good chapters are "Can free of all political interference. How ceived by the NEA and thrust on them There Be a Democratic Culture?", a ever, earlier in the book he has written to administer, but without control, the really brilliant piece of scholarship; a skillfully subtle essay about a piece of lines hardened. And then, along came the "Twigs for an Eagle·s Nest": is a docu sculpture President Nixon disliked. The community arts agencies. mented essay that comes to a hasty con work of art was called "Adam" and it "Dy that time, city and community , clusion which sounds contrived. ''The was located within sight of the White arts agencies were also demanding greater Lunatic, the Lover, and the Poet" is House on the grounds of the Corcoran participation in the formulation of En about the arts and education and has Gallery of Art. Nixon wanted it removed. d()wment policies. The larger arts organ some interesting literary and experi Michael and Nancy Hanks conspired with izations, in tum, were becoming fearful ential anecdotes. "A City in the Form of the National Park Service to deceive the that the Endowment might surrender a Palace" is a well done plea for urban artist and the Corcoran, and the tax too much authority to state and local esthetics. "Live From Lincoln Center" payers for that matter, and have the agencies. The Endowment itself had is a bit simple but full of facts that { piece moved to .a location out of Mr. spent a great deal of time and money in stimulate thinking. Nixon's line of vision. Titls was surrender reassessing its administrative relation The book as a whole? Certainly worth ing to political pressure of the most di ships.