[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 154 (Friday, September 29, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S14777]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR 
                                THE ARTS

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment 
today to mark the 30th anniversary of the National Endowment for the 
Arts. Thirty years ago, President Lyndon Johnson initiated a program 
which gave the government a modest role in bringing the arts and 
culture to all the people of our great nation. Today, 30 years later, 
this small investment is being called into question, ignoring that the 
National Endowment for the Arts has made a substantial contribution to 
the cultural lives of Americans in all corners of the nation. The NEA 
has lived up to the purposes for which Congress established, 
specifically, ``to ensure that the arts and humanities belong to all 
people of the United States.'' This has been no small achievement, and 
is one which the Endowment can stake claim to--broadening accessibility 
and increasing the breadth of participation.
  For much of our Nation's history, one had to travel to the biggest 
cities--New York, Chicago, Boston or Los Angeles--to participate and 
enjoy the best of what the arts had to offer. This is no longer the 
case. The Endowment has encouraged a real flowering of the arts across 
the nation and provided the seeds for each community to celebrate its 
uniqueness and its creativity. While one could not say that the 
Endowment is the creator of art--certainly the arts would exist and 
have existed without it--one can safely say it has been a catalyst for 
ensuring that the very best of the arts are available to even the 
smallest corner of the nation and to all segments of the population.
  All across America, millions of children and their families have had 
the chance to see the great masterpieces of the visual arts, hear the 
masterworks of American composers, and read the novels and stories and 
poems of America's great writers. The gift of the Endowment to our 
Nation is realized by each person, young and old, whose horizon is 
broadened through dancing and writing, whose self esteem is reinforced 
through participation in the arts, who is able to communicate through 
creating. Bringing the magic and wonder of the arts to all of us, is 
the triumph of the NEA.
  Mr. President, on this 30th anniversary, I would also like to take a 
moment to pay tribute to one of the founding fathers of the NEA, the 
distinguished senior Senator from Rhode Island, Clairborne Pell, who 
has been a true champion of the arts. He, too, should be recognized on 
this anniversary for his extraordinary contributions. As a long time 
supporter of this agency and sponsor of legislation to reauthorize the 
National Endowment for the Arts in 1995, I am proud to come to the 
Senate floor and make note of this special day.
  Now that it appears that the Endowment is secure, I would like to 
thank all my colleagues who helped through this difficult time. We 
should not allow for controversy to overshadow this agency's great 
accomplishments. It is my hope that the National Endowment for the Arts 
will continue to serve the American public will into the next 
century.

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