[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1827]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRATULATING NEA CHAIRMAN DANA GIOIA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

  Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate Dana Gioia on his accomplished tenure as the Chairman of 
the National Endowment for the Arts. The NEA has been significantly 
strengthened under his leadership, which he has recently announced will 
end in January when he steps down to focus on his writing.
  When Mr. Gioia took the reins of the NEA in 2003, federal support for 
the arts had been badly damaged by decades of partisan feuds. The NEA 
budget had been cut in half, and many were questioning the long-term 
viability of the organization. Today, NEA funding has nearly doubled 
from its 1990s lows and the agency is expanding its efforts. For this, 
Mr. Gioia deserves much of the credit.
  Mr. Gioia's impressive leadership skills helped build bipartisan 
support for the NEA. He understands the importance of listening to 
different groups, from artists to politicians to average citizens, and 
has the savvy to address their needs in creative ways.
  One of his first initiatives was Shakespeare in American Communities, 
a program that brings professional theater companies into schools 
across the nation. This program has employed nearly 2,000 actors and 
introduced more than 1 million students to theater. The NEA also 
launched Operation Homecoming under his leadership, which sends writers 
to military bases to work with Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
  Mr. Gioia ensured that every congressional district had an 
opportunity to earn an NEA grant--a move that brought the arts to many 
new communities and demonstrated to Congress how the NEA's work touches 
every corner of the country.
  As a member of the Congressional Arts Caucus and the National Council 
on the Arts, I am grateful for Mr. Gioia's leadership. When his tenure 
at the NEA ends early next year, he will leave behind an organization 
that is much stronger than it was when he arrived in 2003. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Gioia on his leadership and 
his tremendous contributions to the arts.

                          ____________________