[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 163 (Friday, October 20, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15399-S15401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          NATIONAL ENDOWMENTS

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I find it both ironic and disheartening to 
be standing here 30 years after the establishment of the National 
Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities--30 years distinguished by 
success in preserving and nurturing the arts and scholarship of our 
Nation--defending the very principles upon which the legislation was 
created. As one of the founding sponsors of the legislation authorizing 
the National Endowments, I am deeply concerned about the future of 
these extraordinary agencies. 

[[Page S15400]]

  I am told that the old arguments no longer work. Opponents dismiss 
the overwhelming evidence that a national infrastructure results in 
greater public access to our culture. They gloss over the fact that 
American creative excellence influences the way we are perceived as a 
Nation and remembered when the history of our civilization is 
documented. They ignore the many studies which demonstrate how the arts 
have stimulated local economies by revitalizing downtown areas, 
attracting tourism and providing jobs and taxable income.
  Yet, who can deny that Americans of all ages from every corner of the 
country have a tremendous thirst to learn, enjoy and participate in the 
great diversity of our Nation's culture? The public is aware that the 
Endowments have brought a great value to millions of Americans. The 
voices acknowledging this are no longer silent, but are being heard in 
increasing numbers. And what the people seek is not to be found in the 
commercial marketplace. Throughout the ages, the great legacies of art 
and scholarship have been created, sustained and preserved with some 
form of patronage. They should not now be expected to pay for 
themselves.
  I am proud when our American artists are recognized for their 
excellence with invitations to demonstrate their work abroad. I am 
equally proud when a child remains in school and improves his grades as 
a result of the positive experience he has had with a school-based arts 
program. The National Endowment for the Arts fosters American 
creativity just as the National Endowment for the Humanities stimulates 
learning. I firmly believe that regardless of our differences of 
wealth, race, religion and political belief, our cultural development 
binds us together, develops our character as Americans and establishes 
our common heritage.
  The Endowments were founded and have been sustained over the years 
with bipartisan support. Hearings before the full committee earlier 
this year demonstrated that the trend can continue. What has happened 
to this bipartisanship elsewhere in Congress? Why has the divisive 
tactics of a few led to so much time being devoted to such a small 
amount of money?
  While critics eager to further polarize our parties have focused on a 
very few controversial grants, perhaps they have missed the fact that 
the Arts Endowment Design Program led the way in convening a design 
panel to plan the post-bombing redevelopment of downtown Oklahoma City. 
Perhaps they did not know that a world-class American dance company 
performed in their home town or that young members of a string quartet 
gave a series of workshops in their schools. Perhaps they are unaware 
that many grateful constituents remember the role of both Endowments in 
bringing hope, joy, inspiration, knowledge and healing to their own 
communities.
  Perhaps, too, the critics did not notice the valuable changes in the 
agency's procedures instituted by National Endowment for the Arts 
Chairman Jane Alexander last year that go a long way toward addressing 
the public's concerns by strengthening the Chairman's oversight of 
Endowment grantees and making the Endowment respond more effectively to 
the needs of the people. I fully understand that many Americans are 
troubled when they hear of works distasteful to them that are funded 
(or rumored to be funded) in part with their tax dollars. Nevertheless, 
while the Endowment has awarded well over 100,000 grants, fewer than 40 
have resulted in any controversy. The remaining 99.96 percent of all 
grants made are testament to the Endowment's success.
  As each of my colleagues know from their own constituents, the 
public's investment in a relatively small Endowment grant is often the 
key to stimulating the release of large amounts of State and local 
funds and private contributions. Unlike most Federal programs, the 
National Endowment for the Arts initiatives leverage 12 non-Federal 
dollars for each Federal dollar invested. Similarly, the National 
Endowment for the Humanities stimulates an average of $70 million in 
private support annually. In all probability, this money would never 
have become available to the recipients without the initial Endowment 
recognition. Donors look to the Endowments for leadership when they 
decide how to allocate their funds, and it is these private funds that 
guarantee the survival of the best of our country's arts and 
scholarship. In short, removal of the national recognition and the 
stimulation of partnerships offered through Federal grants will 
dramatically reduce all forms of State and local cultural support.
  Can we not move beyond the ideology of a few? Last July, the 
Committee on Labor and Human Resources voted 12 to 4 in favor of an 
amendment in the nature of a substitute to S. 856 to improve and extend 
the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965, the 
Museum Services Act, and the Acts and Artifacts Indemnity Act. The 
committee report reaffirms the Government's commitment to, and interest 
in, supporting arts and humanities projects throughout the Nation well 
into the future. After four hearings and lengthy debate, the committee 
determined that the agencies do provide valuable service to the 
American public and should be maintained.
  October is National Arts and Humanities Month. Let us use the 
occasion to reflect upon the eloquent words of President Kennedy 
delivered shortly before the Endowments were founded:

       I see little of more importance to the future of our 
     country and our civilization than full recognition of the 
     place of the artist. * * * I look forward to an America which 
     will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement 
     in business and statecraft. I look forward to an America 
     which will steadily raise its standards of artistic 
     accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural 
     opportunities for all of its citizens.

  I believe that the National Endowment for the Arts has been 
remarkably successful in furthering this ideal. Arts is no longer the 
privileged domain of a relatively few practitioners and connoisseurs; 
it no longer exists in a remote and rarefied atmosphere. It can no 
longer be considered as incidental or peripheral to our way of life. It 
is central to the life we cherish and to the beliefs we hold; for as a 
nation we are reaching toward maturity, and the surest sign of maturity 
lies in the growing expression of an indigenous and creative national 
culture.
  The Arts Endowment provides critical assistance in creating and 
presenting our Nation's music, theater, dance, literature, painting, 
sculpture, photography, film and video, design arts and folk arts. 
Without this funding, many popular programs would simply not exist, let 
alone be made available to millions. Even the very limited funds 
appropriated for the Endowment help keep ticket prices reasonable, thus 
enabling lower income citizens, young people, the elderly and the 
disabled to gain access to our common culture.
  The Humanities Endowment has supported and preserved the work of an 
extraordinary group of scholars and historians, and stimulated a wide 
array of new scholarship--all of which has served to expand our 
Nation's collective knowledge of history, literature, philosophy, 
languages, and religion. Many know of the agency's role in sponsoring 
thrilling interpretive exhibitions and informative films on public 
television. It has also helped to fund such diverse projects as a 
dictionary of American language, an encyclopedia of bioethics, the 
publication of George Washington's papers, the distribution of the 
``Civilization'' series to 2,000 colleges, the microfilming of over 
600,000 brittle books and repair of 100,000 additional volumes, 
training for conservators, summer seminars for teachers, the 
introduction of various new technologies to the classroom, and repairs 
to museum, library, and school collections damaged by Hurricane Andrew 
and the Midwest floods.
  Parents and teachers know the importance of arts and humanities 
curricula; and studies confirm that they teach young people creativity, 
increase self-discipline, develop analytical and communication skills, 
and are a critical means of passing on an understanding of American 
culture and civilization to the next generation.
  I urge my colleagues to stop using the Endowments as pawns in an 
ideological war and move to reaffirm the Government's support of the 
arts and humanities. It is very important that we act on the 
reauthorization of the National Foundation for the Arts and Humanities 
Act of 1995 this year and I fervently hope that our leadership will 

[[Page S15401]]
schedule a time to consider bill S. 856 as soon as possible.

                          ____________________