[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 41, Number 46 (Monday, November 21, 2005)]
[Pages 1703-1704]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Dinner Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the National 
Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities

November 10, 2005

    Good evening, and welcome. Laura and I are really happy you're here. 
We meet tonight to celebrate the 40th anniversary of both the National 
Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
    We especially welcome NEA Chairman Dana Gioia and NEH Chairman Bruce 
Cole. And we'd like to recognize their outstanding contributions to our 
Nation's arts and humanities. Dana and Bruce are both distinguished 
scholars and authors, and under their visionary leadership, America's 
programs to support the arts and humanities have continued to enrich our 
Nation's cultural and civic life.
    I also want to recognize a former head of the NEH, Lynne Cheney, and 
her husband. [Laughter]
    It's also my honor to welcome Lynda Robb, whose dad had the wisdom 
to start both these programs. Welcome.
    Over the last 40 years, the National Endowment for the Arts and the 
National Endowment for the Humanities have strengthened our democracy by 
supporting our Nation's ideals, institutions, and emerging talents. The 
NEA has provided support for music and dance, theater, and the arts 
across our great country. It has helped improve public access to 
education in the arts, offered workshops in writing, and brought 
artistic masterpieces to under-served communities.
    At the same time, the NEH has done important work to preserve 
America's cultural treasures. And it has helped introduce millions of 
Americans to award-winning books, documentaries, and museum exhibitions.
    These two institutions also help support the arts and humanities by 
encouraging great talent. This morning I awarded the National Medal of 
Arts and the National Humanities Medal to men and women who have made 
exemplary contributions to our Nation's art, culture, and scholarship. 
Each medal winner has helped define our era. Each has excelled and 
demonstrated originality, endurance, and self-discipline. And together, 
their creativity inspires our students and elevates our culture and 
enriches our nation. Congratulations to you all.
    President Franklin Roosevelt once said that free nations gain new 
responsibilities when other countries try to turn back the clock of 
civilization by burning libraries and exiling their artists and 
thinkers. Free nations, he said, have an obligation to keep the torch of 
free thought and free learning burning bright.
    America is a country where the light of freedom does burn bright, 
and by supporting our artists and scholars, we help inspire those who do 
not yet enjoy freedom. We defend creativity and expression because we 
value a free and open society. And our actions set an example for the 
entire world. And so, tonight I offer a toast to the brightest lights of 
American creativity, men and women who entertain us, inform us, and 
inspire us.

Note: The President spoke at 7:44 p.m. on the State Floor at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Lynda Johnson Robb, daughter of 
former President Lyndon B. Johnson. This item was not received in time 
for publication in the appropriate issue.

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