Abstract
The National Endowment for the Arts, coming into existence in a period when federal support of the arts was not a popular cause in Congress, has survived and prospered with bipartisan support. From its beginnings the Endowment has operated under the principle that private support of the arts is of primary importance, and that the agency should be guided by the advice of private citizens. Endowment grants have supported artists and cultural institutions and companies, increased education in the arts, improved the aesthetics of city living, and encouraged development of ethnic projects. Challenge Grants, which bolster arts organizations, have been an immense success. The article presents the author's views regarding the essential and precedent-setting nature of the Arts Endowment, its meaning to Americans and the arts at the very core of life. The author discusses the catalytic impact of the Endowment since 1965, and expresses deep concern that a time of exceptional nourishment may give way to a time of drought.
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