[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 98 (Friday, July 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1404]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1404]]


             COMMENDING ROGER TILLES' LEADERSHIP ON THE NEA

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                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 1997

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
commend Mr. Roger Tilles on his insightful and provocative op-ed piece 
on the National Endowment for the Arts, which was recently published in 
the New York Times. Mr. Tilles, who is the former President of Temple 
Beth-el of Great Neck, has worked from the private sector to further 
the cultural enrichment of the Long Island community. With generous 
support from the Tilles family, Long Island University created the 
Tilles Center which has been vital in educating students about the 
arts, and bringing world class cultural exhibits and performances to 
Long Island. His following op-ed piece recognizes the unique 
partnership that exists between the private sector and the NEA. When 
voting on the NEA, we should look to Mr. Tilles' example, and recognize 
that public funding for the arts, and private sector philanthropy go 
hand in hand.

                [From the New York Times, June 29, 1997]

                    Time To Fight To Save the N.E.A.

                           (By Roger Tilles)

       As efforts are mounted to scrap the National Endowment for 
     the Arts, there is no small irony that among the reasons why 
     Long Island is now among the top 20 places to live in the 
     nation is its quality of life, best reflected in the broad 
     scope of cultural and performing arts programs that are now 
     at serious risk.
       In the global battle for economic investment, local 
     corporations seeking to entice new industries, jobs and 
     capital to our region offset our high taxes and congested 
     highways by using the arts as an attractive inducement. And 
     with the bicounty region now deeply dependent on tourism, 
     some 25 million people who visit Long Island annually now 
     seek out our 12 dance companies, 40 arts organizations, 46 
     museums, 80 music companies, 30 theater companies and 
     countless art galleries.
       Far more than the loss of artistic outlets, shutting down 
     the N.E.A. would have a direct, profound and negative impact 
     on Long Island's economy. Without the small stipend many of 
     these artistic programs receive from the National Endowment 
     for the Arts, the vast majority of these cultural attractions 
     would whither and disappear.
       The battle over the N.E.A. has its roots in the fierce 
     partisan battles that have erupted in Congress over the last 
     several years. Whether it is dollars earmarked for Ernie the 
     Muppet or Ernie the Artist, N.E.A. support is now considered 
     a political litmus by the Congressional leadership. It is as 
     if a performance of Mozart, an exhibit of de Kooning or a 
     performance of ``Swan Lake'' are now battlegrounds for the 
     hearts and minds of the electorate. This is treacherous 
     ground because, for those with a sense of history, there is a 
     faint echo from a not so distant past when a fascist 
     government used the arts to sanitize their murderous regime.
       To prevent plans from moving ahead to dismantle the 
     National Endowment of the Arts, Long Island, with its 
     population of nearly three million people, is going to have 
     to become far more millitant on behalf of the arts. It should 
     not be unfamiliar territory. As we shifted public policy on 
     issues relating to breast cancer and the environment, we need 
     to take those lessons and apply them to this equally crucial 
     task.
       Our first step should be the mobilization of those 
     individuals who have served in the past as potent financial 
     and ideological supporters of either major political parties. 
     It will be a powerful message indeed if both Republican and 
     Democratic standard-bearers discover that their core 
     constituencies are united behind a common theme--protection 
     of the arts. We need to condition our support based on where 
     public officials stand as it relates to the arts and their 
     support for the National Endowment.
       In addition, because of Long Island's financial depth, many 
     of us are targeted by political action committees and 
     campaigns far outside Long Island. We need to include the 
     arts as part of our personal platform for contributions.
       Elected officials from Maine to California need to know 
     that their support of N.E.A. programs is a critical factor in 
     our determination of whether they are worthy of our dollars. 
     We also need to network with those cultural and performing 
     arts organizations working in Congressional districts where 
     opponents of the arts endowment are located so that our 
     message is carried far beyond the Long Island Expressway. 
     That can be accomplished by becoming more involved with the 
     artistic organizations that currently exist in the bicounty 
     region.
       As the Long Island Congressional delegation once led the 
     charge to fund locally built weapons systems that defeated 
     our Cold War opponents, let them now use their debating 
     skills to protect the performances, programs and exhibits 
     that now nurture the human spirit and enhance our region's 
     economic and social quality of life.
       We need only demonstrate our personal leadership to insure 
     that our elected officials pretend that Chopin is a weapons 
     system and vote accordingly.

     

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