[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 83 (Thursday, May 18, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6945-S6946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         IN SUPPORT OF THE NEA

 Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to express my 
concerns about proposals in the House of Representatives that would 
abolish the National Endowment for the Arts. Support for the arts and 
humanities is the hallmark of a civilized society and since our 
nation's founding, the arts have held a respected place in our country.
  The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for 
the Humanities were created 30 years ago with the passage of the 
National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965. This act 
was conceived fundamentally to maintain intellectual freedom and 
preserve American culture for future generations. Since its inception, 
the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities have become the 
principal funding organizations for many of our national museums, 
historical sights, and cultural institutions.
  While we are currently facing a time of serious budgetary 
constraints, it is important for us to remember how small our 
investment in the arts really is. If you look at other civilized 
countries, they do far more from the public treasury in helping support 
the arts and humanities than we do in this country. Currently, the 
United States spends 64 cents per American per year, the equivalent of 
2 postage stamps. In light of the tremendous return on investment in 
the arts and humanities, proposals to terminate funding for the 
Endowments seem shortsighted.
  Federal support for the arts and humanities constitutes only five to 
ten percent of the total funding for the arts in this nation. This 
small investment functions as a catalyst to draw into the arts very 
significant amounts of money from the state and local levels as well as 
from private sources.
  A grant from the NEA or NEH gives a tremendous boost to organizations 
such as symphonies and museums by assisting them in fundraising efforts 
in their own communities. Organizations all across the State of 
Maryland--from Baltimore's Museum of Art to Hagerstown's Maryland 
Symphony Orchestra--have all been able to use their NEA grant awards to 
leverage much-needed funding from their own communities. In fact, $1 
endowment attracts $11 for the arts from States and local governments, 
regional and local art agencies, foundations and corporations, and 
businesses and individuals.
  All of these contributions recognize the tremendous return on an 
investment in the arts. The arts have [[Page S6946]] brought increased 
economic development to communities across the Nation's revitalizing 
inner cities, stimulating revenue and creating jobs. Nationally, the 
nonprofit arts industry generates an estimated $37 billion in economic 
activity and employs 1.3 million Americans. The arts attract tourist 
dollars, encourage business development, spur urban renewal, and 
improve the overall quality of life in our cities and towns.
  Endowment grants also support important education and public 
programs. In my own State of Maryland, NEH grants are assisting Essex 
Community College in developing its curriculum and training faculty 
members to teach it; aiding in the preservation of historic Maryland 
newspapers such as the Log Cabin Advocate and the Independent Farmer; 
and funding museum exhibits such as the one on enlisted airmen in World 
War II at the Airmen Memorial Museum in Suitland, Maryland.
  Endowment grants enrich the lives of all Americans by bringing 
diverse aspects of our cultural heritage right into our own 
communities. Among the most important beneficiaries of the arts are the 
children of this Nation. Exposure to the arts motivates children--
stimulating their imaginations and increasing their confidence. For 
young people especially, a whole new world opens up to them when they 
enter a museum. The House proposals terminating funding for the arts 
would effectively slam the door to that new world. In my view, it is 
imperative that we keep that door open for Americans of all 
ages.


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