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Statement About the National Endowment for the Arts and the Reappointment of Nancy Hanks as Chairman

September 14, 1973

FOUR years ago I named Nancy Hanks Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. The subsequent contributions of the endowment to the cultural enrichment of our national life give abundant testimony to the vitality and vision she has brought to that post.

Today, a firm partnership exists between the Endowment and the cultural agencies of the States. Early fears about government domination of the arts have been dispelled as the National Endowment for the Arts has stimulated private patronage at ever-increasing levels.

With the aid of Federal, State, and private programs, hundreds of dancers, musicians, poets, painters, sculptors, filmmakers, craftsmen, and actors are coming into the classrooms and meeting halls of our communities.

The Artists-in-the-Schools program, now in operation in every State and special jurisdiction, has added a new and vital element in public education. The Expansion Arts program has brought recognition and support to groups whose cultural activities have been undervalued in the past. Fellowships are available to America's gifted individual artists. And, in response to the Presidential directive of May 16, 1972, the Endowment is involved in an effort which, I hope, will make the Federal Government a model for the finest examples that our Nation can offer in architecture and design.

The effect of these endeavors on the quality of our national life reaffirms the truth that art is not a luxury, but a necessity to which all our citizens can and should have access. More than ever before--and, in part, because of the work of the Endowment--the American people have now come to recognize how central the arts are to the continued enrichment of our lives, both individually and as a nation.

As we look to the next 4 years, our concern for the arts will focus increasingly on the commemoration of America's Bicentennial. That occasion prompts us to recognize the need to preserve this Nation's heritage of paintings, of films, and of buildings of historic importance and appeal which can be saved for the future by being adapted to new uses today. It prompts us further to look to our leading cultural organizations to bring us together in performances of the most memorable works created by Americans in music, opera, theater, and dance, and through exhibitions in our Nation's museums. In the service of these objectives, I look to the National Endowment for the Arts, and to the cultural agencies of the States, to play an important role.

Under the leadership of Miss Hanks during the past 4 years, the Endowment has convincingly proved its capacity to serve the Nation. The Congress has demonstrated its confidence in Miss Hanks' leadership by increasing appropriations for the Endowment almost sevenfold during her tenure. Recognizing her accomplishments, and the need for her leadership in continuing the important work which she has so far advanced, I take great pleasure today in nominating Nancy Hanks for a second term as Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts.

Note: On the same day, the President met with Miss Hanks and members of the National Council on the Arts in the Oval Office at the White House.

Richard Nixon, Statement About the National Endowment for the Arts and the Reappointment of Nancy Hanks as Chairman Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/255240

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