Visual artists absent from the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities

Twenty-five new appointees have joined the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. So it's not exactly heartening to note that the distinguished roster includes no visual artists.

Or, perhaps, half a visual artist: Chicago's Paula Hannaway Crown, a former banker at Salomon Bros. Inc., is now a principal of the investment firm Henry Crown and Co.; she is also, her official bio says, an artist. Her husband James was Barack Obama's chief presidential campaign fund-raiser in Illinois.

Fourteen of the appointees are business people, educators, arts organization trustees (Crown is on the board of New York's Museum of Modern Art), lawyers, politicians, etc. The remaining 10 are architects and performing artists, half of them actors.

According to its website, the committee works "directly with the three primary cultural agencies – National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) – to initiate and support key programs; to recognize excellence in the fields of arts and humanities; and to encourage private-public partnerships around those disciplines."

The United States is a big country. Apparently, no full-time visual artists suitable to serve could be located.

-- Christopher Knight

Comments

[Herbert444]

The primary reason anyone is on a governmental arts council to make certain that pet projects and personal pets are adequately acknowledged, and of course funded. This makes certain that the investments of the council and friends of the council, increase in value and do not depreciate in value, so that everyone that matters makes money.

[Donald Frazell]

Yes, that would be correct. There are no visual artists worth a damn. Those with talent go into other fields, it has been left to careerists and children, as the visual arts have not been deemed worthy or relevant for decades now.

There is talent out there, just not any which fulfills the criteria of the museo/academy/gallery complex as being of them. A small clique of self interested investors and whiners. And so not seen, so how would they be picked? The Pharisees of art cannot allow that, or their house of cards will fall. Imperial Cothing. Read it.

art collegia delenda est

[Diane]

Right!
And do you see any Librarians?

[Tara]

this is really disappointing, but on balance O did significantly increase the arts budget after 16 years of atrophy.

[Ann Haaland]

This information surprised me. And yes, it's disturbing to see that visual artists aren't being adequately represented here. But I disagree that we've all given up or sold out. Thousands of us make do and make our art for reasons other than financial rewards. True, it would be nice to get a greater piece of the big golden goose egg pie that we make possible, but as a collective group we don't ask for it. Instead we whine amongst ourselves or we stamp our feet and scream at the unfairness of it all. And who's to say that the new committee would leave us out of the banquet ( or picnic, depending on your perspective.)If we want to be seen and recognized, just like any body else we have to embrace all the mechanics of big business and government, meaning, get involved. You're either part of the problem or you're part of the solution.

[Donald Frazell]

There is a very simple solution, begin creating works relevant to humanity, and not of children, and intent on continuing the corrupt "industry" that supports tens of thousands of self satisfied, yet irrelevant, hacks. In the arts, those who can do, thsoe who cant teach. Why listen to those who cant, even if charming and nice fellows. Art isnt about being nice, its about following truth. And finding ways to make it visible, and involving all.

"Instead we whine amongst ourselves or we stamp our feet and scream at the unfairness of it all"

Exactly, petulant children. True creative artists are independents, and never hang around in emotional support groups, looking for validation. We go our own ways, and learn. But also take commissions, we are workers, not effete selfcontemplators. we do. We connect, but not with inbred groups of passionless wannabes. Which is what has happened. The academies have dictated what art is, by ignoring any definition, it has become but a servant of those who patronize and run the museo/academy/gallery complex. Cretive art ahs been castrated. Only by fulfilling its true role, visualizing mankinds deepest concerns, who we are, living wiht nature, and being servants of thecreative life force, god.

But fine art is arrogant, and refuses to humble itself as but one aspect of mankinds being. Its serves its masters, the rich, and has becoem therapy for the rest. Taht is not creative art, and so, no commission membership for you. You are irrelevant, become it again, and you will find power by being a part of it. Not a seperate, decadent, self worshipping mob of children.

art collegia delenda est