[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 22, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E657-E658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                GUAM COUNCIL ON THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES

                                 ______


                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 22, 1995
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to state my strong support 
of the continued funding for the National Endowment of the Arts and the 
National Endowment of the Humanities.
  In its 29-year history, the NEA has awarded over 100,000 grants for 
music, theater, dance, arts, education, and outreach to many 
communities across the country. The Federal Government's elimination of 
the funding of these agencies would greatly affect the lives of many 
people, especially children, throughout the Nation and especially on 
Guam. The Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency [CAHA] would 
stand to lose a great deal because Guam does not have a large enough 
population base to commercialize the arts and humanities.
  I would like to point out the important contributions that the NEA 
and the NEH have provided for us on Guam. In 1994, Guam received the 
basic State grant annual funding of $201,000, which is subgranted to 
applicant on Guam who apply to CAHA to do artistic community-related 
projects. In addition, CAHA received a grant of $10,000 from the Folk 
Arts Program to support the Folk Arts Apprentice Program.
  In 1993, CAHA received a grant of $100,000 from the NEA to support 
the continued development of a Chamorro culture village in the village 
of Inarajan. During that same year CAHA also received a grant of 
$17,600 from the Folks Arts Program to support a survey to identify, 
document, and form a consortium among builders and navigators of 
traditional sea-faring canoes in the Micronesian Island communities. 
The termination of funding for the NEA and the NEH would deprive CAHA 
of its ability to do its job--that of supporting funds to community 
artists and organizations and subsequently monitoring the development 
of these projects.
  I would like to bring to your attention what Guam could lose if the 
funds for the NEA and [[Page E658]] the NEH were to be eliminated: 
Funding for the Guam Symphony Society; folks arts, masters of 
traditional art apprenticeship program funding for the arts in 
Education Program--taking art into the schools; grants for the Isla 
Center for the Arts; college crafts program at Gef Pa'go, Chamorro 
Cultural Village; funding for the University of Guam Theater and Music 
Department; funding for the consortium for the Pacific Arts and Culture 
which brings the Missoula Children's Theater to Guam grants to Media 
arts, literary arts, performing arts, visual arts, and folks arts; and 
grants to artist fellowships.
  CAHA's mission has been to show case our culture and make people 
understand its importance to our island. The whole point of the arts 
and humanities programs, which CAHA supports, is to create an 
opportunity for people to expand their views and knowledge about the 
various cultures which constitute the melting pot of America. The very 
existence of the CAHA, is threatened without the funding provided by 
the NEA and the NEH. The opportunity that CAHA affords the community to 
engage on a larger scale also would be gone.
  In fiscal year 1995, Guam was the only jurisdiction in the United 
States to have all grant applications approved as well as to receive an 
additional grant. By these actions, the NEA and the NEH have recognized 
Guam's outstanding record of funding artists and projects important to 
our community.
  Finally, I would like to commend the fine work that CAHA has 
accomplished in years past and to congratulate Ms. Deborah Bordallo on 
her recent appointment as executive director to the Guam Council on the 
Arts and Humanities. With the renewed funding from the NEA and the NEH, 
we, on Guam, will work hard toward supporting CAHA for many generations 
to come.


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