The National Endowment for the Arts: NEA Grants Shift from Censorship to Propaganda By Meghan Keane Summary: For decades the National Endow- ment for the Arts (NEA) has been caught up in controversy over its mission and its grantees. But this year for the fi rst time artists themselves are questioning whether they are being used by the agency to foster a political agenda. t’s amazing how quickly artists’ fear of government censorship evaporates when Ia candidate they support takes offi ce. In the late 1980s and 1990s the arts community vigorously protested when conservatives questioned whether the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) should fund art works that many considered acts of blasphemy, obscen- ity and pornography. That was during the days when Andres Serrano dunked a crucifi x into a jar of urine and photographed it. The public was outraged to learn that the NEA provided a portion of the funding for a North Carolina arts group that celebrated Serrano’s work and awarded him $15,000. The arts community responded by screaming “censorship” over Wearing an “Obama is my home boy” tee shirt, former NEA communications direc- efforts to cut funding for these displays. It tor Yosi Sergant chats with President Obama. Sergant presided over a conference was equally outraged at the suggestion that call in which he pushed artists to produce pro-Obama propaganda. government policymakers should have a say took control of Congress in 1995 they cut Today the Obama administration is mov- in the content of their art work. Left-leaning the Clinton administration’s NEA budget to ing rapidly to increase next year’s federal arts groups said bureaucrats and congress- below $100 million for fi ve years from 1996 funding for the NEA. The administration men should play no role in artistic decisions to 2000. Unfortunately, during the George W. made with taxpayer money. They should pay Bush administration NEA’s budget slowly but not play. rose until it reached $155 billion authorized November 2009 for this year. The attempt to end federal After a spate of similar controversies em- grants to the arts was abandoned. The NEA CONTENTS barrassed the George H.W. Bush adminis- survived by eliminating potentially contro- The National Endowment tration, the NEA made an effort to require versial grants to individual artists. Instead, it grant recipients to sign an anti-obscenity for the Arts channeled more money to state arts agencies Page 1 pledge. (The pledge lapsed and was later that support popular school and community ruled unconstitutional). The NEA budget projects in music, folk arts, museum preser- Briefl y Noted reached $176 million at the end of the fi rst vation programs and the like. Page 6 Bush administration. But when Republicans OrganizationTrends began its pitch early this year by arguing Why did the NEA think its mission was to that increased arts funding was necessary to create a “message distribution network” for stimulate the economy and help artists and issues not related to the arts? Was the agency arts institutions recover from the recession. about to create a “machine” to corral artists As soon as $50 million in arts funding was into promoting its agenda? NEA grants are included in the stimulus package, arts lob- often valued for their ability to generate byists went looking for even more money. matching grants from private donors. Wasn’t In this respect, backers of the arts are no there a potential confl ict of interest in promot- different from any other interest group that ment, and the Corporation for National and ing the president’s agenda using government feeds at the public trough. Community Service. The invitation asked a grants to artists who would then be more handpicked group of 75 “artists, producers, likely to receive private grants? However, the NEA and its backers recently promoters, organizers, infl uencers, market- took a disturbing step beyond funding its ers, taste-makers, leaders or just plain cool Later in the call, Yosi Sergant, then the NEA’s constituency group. They have been eager people to join together and work together to communications director, told the artists what to promote government involvement in set- promote a more civically engaged America the administration expected of them: “I would ting the arts agenda—especially in creating and celebrate how the arts can be used for encourage you to pick something, whether art that promotes the Obama administration. a positive change!” The intent was to en- it’s health care, education, the environment, NEA supporters seem more than happy to courage the artists to think about ways to you know, there’s four key areas that the use the agency to encourage artists to create create arts-focused projects to support the corporation has identifi ed as the areas of political advocacy artwork. In other countries President’s policies in four areas: healthcare, service.... And then my ‘ask’ would be to this is called propaganda. environment and energy, education, and apply artistic, you know, your artistic creative community service. communities utilities and bring them to the NEA: Propaganda Agency for the Obama table.” Sergant added that it was no accident Administration During the call, Buffy Wicks, deputy director why those invited were in on the conference In September Patrick Courrielche, a fi lm- of the White House Offi ce of Public Engage- call: They were selected because they “know maker who has worked to create arts initia- ment, addressed the group. She explained how to make a stink.” tives, exposed an Obama administration that she worked for Obama senior adviser attempt to use the NEA to build support Valerie Jarrett, and her job was to reach out Neil Abernathy, outreach director for the ad- for the president’s agenda. Courrielche said to constituency groups [i.e. special interests]. ministration’s United We Serve community he was invited to participate on an Aug. Wicks reminded the callers that “we won” service campaign, said he wanted artists to get 10 conference call organized by the NEA, and stated her purpose: “I’m actually in the with his program. The campaign was part of the White House Offi ce of Public Engage- White House and working towards furthering the Corporation for National and Community this agenda, this very aggressive agenda.” Service, the federal agency that supports Editor: Matthew Vadum She added, “We’re going to come at you Americorps and other government-funded with some specifi c ‘asks’ here.” “volunteering” programs. He noted that Publisher: Terrence Scanlon United We Serve was different from Orga- nizing for America (OFA), another Obama Organization Trends On June 22 the Obama administration had effort, which is run out of the Democratic is published by Capital Research kicked-off a 91-day “United We Serve” Center, a non-partisan education and campaign promoting volunteer community National Committee. research organization, classifi ed by service. The campaign would culminate on the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity. September 11th, when the president planned How different? Abernathy said United We Serve emphasized service and volunteering Address: to declare a National Day of Service and 1513 16th Street, N.W. Remembrance. The federal government was while OFA advocated for policy change. “We Washington, DC 20036-1480 asking citizens, nonprofi ts and localities to have to, for these legal reasons, remain really come up with community service projects. really separate [in] what we do here from Phone: (202) 483-6900 Now it was the artists’ turn. what OFA is doing, and so they’re basically Long-Distance: (800) 459-3950 two separate goals with the same idea. We E-mail Address: Patrick Courrielche was disturbed by the use the same techniques, organizing strate- [email protected] content of the conference call. In a blog gies, because basically they’re both run by people from the campaign.” Web Site: posted on Andrew Breitbart’s Big Hollywood http://www.capitalresearch.org website and later excerpted by the Wall Street Journal (Sept. 1, 2009), Courrielche admitted At one point, NEA’s Sergant reminded the Organization Trends welcomes let- that there was something wrong with govern- artists: “This is just the beginning. This is ters to the editor. ment offi cials asking artists to promote the the fi rst telephone call of a brand new con- Reprints are available for $2.50 pre- White House policy agenda. versation. We are just now learning how paid to Capital Research Center. to really bring this community together to 2 November 2009 OrganizationTrends speak with the government. What that looks really honored. You’re going to be seeing a and constitutes a tiny fraction of the $65 bil- like legally, we’re still trying to fi gure out lot more of us in the next four — and hope- lion spent on the arts each year in America. the laws of putting government websites on fully eight — years.” However, the NEA is the largest single donor Facebook and Twitter…So bear with us as to the arts in America, and many feel that we learn the language so that we can speak In late September Sergant resigned as com- arts organizations receiving funding from to each other safely.” munications chief for the NEA after 10 the government should carefully watch how Republican senators wrote NEA chairman grant recipients use taxpayer money. Arts journalist Lee Rosenbaum listened in Rocco Landesman seeking assurances that on a second conference call a few weeks no taxpayer money was used on efforts to That hasn’t always happened. The NEA later, which again invited artists to enlist enlist artists to promote the administration’s was negligent in the early 1990s when it in the government’s social service brigade.