[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 35, Number 10 (Monday, March 15, 1999)]
[Page 390]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Message to the Congress Transmitting the Report of the National 
Endowment for the Arts

March 9, 1999

To the Congress of the United States:

    It is my pleasure to transmit herewith the Annual Report of the 
National Endowment for the Arts for Fiscal Year 1997.
    The Arts Endowment awards more than one thousand grants each year to 
nonprofit arts organizations for projects that bring the arts to 
millions of Americans. Once again, this year's grants reflect the 
diversity of our Nation's culture and the creativity of our artists. 
Whether seeing a classic theatrical production in Connecticut or an art 
exhibition in Arizona, whether listening to a symphony in Iowa or 
participating in a fine arts training program for inner-city students in 
Louisiana, Americans who benefit from Arts Endowment grants have 
experienced the power and joy of the arts in their lives.
    Arts Endowment grants in 1997 supported:
<bullet>    projects in theater, dance, music, visual arts, and the 
            other artistic disciplines, demonstrating that our diversity 
            is an asset--and helping us to interpret the past, 
            understand each other in the present, and envision the 
            future;
<bullet>    folk and traditional arts programs, which strengthen and 
            showcase our rich cultural heritage; and
<bullet>    arts education, which helps improve our children's skills 
            and enhances their lives with the richness of the arts.
    The arts challenge our imaginations, nourish our spirits, and help 
to sustain our democracy. We are a Nation of creators and innovators. As 
this report illustrates, the NEA continues to celebrate America's 
artistic achievements and makes the arts more accessible to the American 
people.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
March 9, 1999.