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National Endowment for the Arts Annual Report 1991

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National Endowment for the Arts Annual Report 1991 National Endowment for the Arts ~99I Annual Report NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR~THE ARTS ~99~ Annual Report NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR~THE ARTS Dear Mr. President: I have the honor to submit to you the Annual Report of the National Endowment for the Arts for the fiscal year Arts in Eduealion ended September 30, 1991. Challenge Respectfully, Anne-Imelda Radice Acting Chairman The President The White House Washington, D.C. July 1992 The Arts Endowment in Brief 6 The Year in Review The National Council on the Arts PROGRAMS Dance 15 Design Arts 3o Expansion Arts 42 Folk Arts 64 Inter-Arts 74 Literature 9o Media Arts IO2 Museum 116 Music I44 Opera-Musical Theater ~84 Theater I95 Visual Arts :2I3 Challenge 2:27 Advancement 236 OFFICE FOR PUBLIC PARTNERSHIP Arts in Education z43 Locals 254 State and Regional 259 Under-Served Communities Set-Aside 265 OFFICE OF POLICY, PLANNING, RESEARCH & BUDGET z75 Special Constituencies 276 Research 277 Arts Administration Fellows 279 International Activities 28I ADVANCEMENT, CHALLENGE AND OVERVIEW PANELS 286 FINANCIAL SUMMARY Fiscal Year 1991 297 History of Authorizations and Appropriations 298 Credits 303 Each summer "Jazz in July," at New York’s 92d Street Y, features immortals like bassist Milt Hinton with Arts Endowment help. The Arts Endowment in Brief stablished by Congress in 1965, the National of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities. Endowment for the Arts is the federal agency The Foundation is an umbrella organization, created by that supports the visual, literary and perform­ Congress, that also contains the National Endowment for E ing arts to benefit all Americans. Its mission is the Humanities, the Federal Council on the Arts and the to serve the American people--by fostering Humanities, and the Institute of Museum Services. It has artistic excellence and helping to develop the nation’s no administrative or programming identity separate from finest creative talent; by preserving and transmitting our its component organizations. diverse cultural heritage; by making the arts more accessi­ ble to all Americans, young, old, or disabled, living in How the Agency Functions rural towns or major cities; by promoting the vitality of arts institutions; and by helping to make the arts intrinsic The Endowment pursues its service to the American pub­ to education. lic by providing financial assistance to artists and non­ The Arts Endowment serves as a catalyst to increase profit arts organizations. The agency also awards grants to opportunities for artists and resources for arts organiza­ other public arts agencies at the state, local and regional tions. It also spurs involvement in the arts by citizens, levels. Since the Endowment receives applications for public and private organizations, and the states and local more than four times as many grants as it can support, communities. The agency does not direct the activities the application process, culminating in the award of of individual artists or arts organizations. Rather, it is a grants or contracts by the Chairman, resembles a national partner with the entire arts community, using federal competition. resources to develop and promote a broadly conceived First, the Endowment staff reviews applications from national policy of support for the arts. individual artists and nonprofit arts organizations for eli­ The agency awards grants to nonprofit arts organiza­ gibility and conformance with published program guide­ tions to help support outstanding performances, exhibi­ lines. Second, application~ are evaluated for artistic excel­ tions, projects and programs. It provides fellowships to lence and merit by panels of experts and knowledgeable American artists of exceptional talent in order to stimu­ laypersons from relevant arts fields. Third, the agency’s late creation of new works of art, expand the nation’s advisory body, the National Council on the Arts, reviews artistic resources and promote preservation of the coun­ the recommendations of the panels and makes its own try’s cultural heritage. It funds projects whose goal is to recommendations on applications meriting funding to educate, formally or informally, both children and adults the Chairman. Upon consideration of those recommen­ in the arts. It disburses program funds to state arts agen­ dations, the Chairman decides whether to award a grant cies and regional organizations in order to promote broad or reject an application. dissemination of the arts across America. The Chairman National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Appointed by the President of the United States with the The National Endowment for the Arts is one component advice and consent of the Senate, the Chairman of the 7 Endowment is chief executive officer of the agency and ment staff and Council members. Membership on Chairman of the National Council on the Arts. Author­ the panels rotates regularly, as no member may serve ized by law to establish and carry out policy, the Chair­ more than three years consecutively. man provides overall direction to the Endowment and its operations. The Chairman establishes agency procedures, Methods of Funding directs the programs, and awards grants and contracts. Grant money authorized by Congress comes to the En­ National Council on the Arts dowment as program funds, Treasury funds and Chal­ lenge Grant funds. Most direct grants to organizations Twenty-six distinguished citizens, appointed by the Presi­ and individuals come from program funds. Program dent and confirmed by the Senate, plus the Chairman of grants to arts institutions must be matched at least the Endowment, constitute the National Council on the dollar-for-dollar. Arts. These distinguished citizens have broad experience The Treasury Fund arrangement allows private in the various arts disciplines and with the major aspects donors to pledge gifts to specific Endowment grantees. of artistic enterprise such as creation, performance, pre­ Each pledge frees an equal amount for the grantee from sentation, administration and patronage. Representing the Treasury Fund, which is maintained at the Treasury the variety of artistic disciplines and genres in America, Department. Grantees must then match the combined collectively the Council transcends single artistic interests total of the donor’s pledge plus the Treasury Fund as well as narrow geographic, ethnic and philosophic disbursement. bounds. Challenge Grants, which must be matched on at least The Council advises the Chairman on policies, a three-to-one basis in new or increased funds, stimulate programs and procedures. It also reviews and makes support for significant projects with long-term impact. recommendations on grant applications. Council Ranging from $75,000 to $1 million, Challenge Grants members serve six-year terms, staggered so that roughly fund projects promoting expanded artistry, enhanced one-third of the Council membership rotates every access and art appreciation, and strengthened arts support two years. systems. The Advisory Panels Impact of Endowment Grants Panels of private citizens advise the Endowment’s individ­ Every grant directly benefits the grantee and thus the ual programs and thus the agency as a whole. These pan­ grantee’s home community and state. Beyond that, in els review applications, identify issues of artistic concern 1991 about 8 percent of the Endowment’s grant dollars to the field and the American public, and inform the supported projects whose impact extended to benefit policies and programs through which the Endowment arts disciplines or audiences within the region. pursues its mission. With even broader effect, this year more than 20 Arts and community leaders from around the nation percent of Endowment grant funds supported projects serve on the grant advisory panels. The panelists represent of national impact. Many of these attracted audiences many aesthetic and cultural viewpoints, providing a cross- nationwide through radio or TV broadcasting, publica­ section of American experience and artistic opinion. tions or recordings. Others reached wide audiences Panels typically include artists, arts administrators, board through touring of, for example, a dance company or a members, critics, arts educators and knowledgeable sculpture exhibition. Still others exerted a national impact laymen. on their arts field by providing management or technical Nominations for panelists come from the public assistance, professional training, career development, at large; from artists, organizations, and leaders in the research or information. arts field; from members of Congress; and from Endow­ Because of their importance, grants having national 8 National Endowment for the Arts impact receive special attention in this report; throughoutBush nine days later, Public Law 101-512, TheArts, these pages, they are flagged with this symbol: ¢r Humanities and Museums Amendments of 1990, autho­ rized the Endowment for three additional years--Fiscal The Endowment’s Reauthorization Year 1991 through Fiscal Year 1993. Like other independent federal agencies, the Arts Endow­ Annual Report ment is granted legal authority to operate for finite peri­ ods and consequently must be reauthorized periodically. Grants, cooperative agreements and contracts listed in On October 27, 1990 both houses of Congress approved the following pages are those obligated as of September a bill reauthorizing the Endowment. Signed by President 3O, 1991. 1991 Annual Report 9 Engaged in collaboration--the soul of many arts--designer John Conklin, assistant director Ann-Christin
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