NEA Denies Grants to 2 Groups : Arts: Rejected applicants claim that their projects were turned down because of sexual content rather than artistic values.

Two contemporary arts organizations whose applications for National Endowment for the Arts government grants were rejected Friday charge that the denial was based on overtly sexual content, rather than artistic value.

Highways, a Santa Monica performance space that presents avant-garde artists, was turned down for a $5,000 grant in the visual-arts category; Franklin Furnace, a Manhattan, N.Y., alternative arts space was rejected for a $25,000 grant application in the same category.

Tim Miller, a controversial performance artist and artistic director of Highways, said he believes the two rejections represent not only an attack on the proposed artistic presentation, but also a “blacklisting” of arts organizations that present non-mainstream artists.

Miller suggested that the grant denial may also represent a personal attack against him. A gay activist, Miller is one of the so-called “NEA 4,” a group of artists suing the endowment over grants that were recommended, then vetoed, in 1990.

NEA Chairman John E. Frohnmayer denied that the grants were overturned on any basis but artistic ones. “That is absolutely wrong, as the transcript of the discussion will bear out,” he said. “The concern was about artistic quality.

“The important point to be made here is, while we do not consider content in making grants, neither does the content shield it from the inquiry into artistic quality. There is a sense among some applicants that, if it is sexually explicit, it should go through without inquiry as to its artistic merit.”

The Highways application included three slides of work by local artist Joe Smoke, which Miller describes as “computer-enhanced images that include what one could call homoerotic imagery.” Those slides were singled out as not having sufficient artistic merit, he said.

“It’s extremely curious that the only thing they (the NEA) seem ever to object to is lesbian and gay identity,” Miller said. “These slides are quite extraordinary and elegant and challenging. It is simply unbelievable to suggest that, if those had been identical (quality) slides of flowers on tables, there would have been a problem.”

“For some reason, our grant was singled out for special treatment,” Miller said. “And if people don’t think it (was), they’re nuts.”

Frohnmayer denied that Miller’s history of dispute with the NEA had anything to do with the agency’s decision. “It wasn’t even discussed,” Frohnmayer said.

“I have described these (works) as ‘in-your-face’ challenges,” Frohnmayer said. It is as if the organizations are saying: “ ‘We are doing things that are sexually explicit and without artistic quality, and we want you to fund us anyway,’ ” he said. “

Martha Wilson, founder and director of Franklin Furnace, said she believes that private meetings of small groups of council members may be “red-flagging” some applications because of content. “It is a blatant example of censorship at the highest level of government.”

Wilson’s application was rejected based on a videotape of performance artist Scarlett O. included in samples of Franklin Furnace presentations, according to an NEA transcript. Wilson said the “funny and light” videotape included a woman in male dress who removes a sexual device from her pants.

An NEA spokeswoman confirmed that both the Smoke slides and the Scarlett O. videotape were brought to the attention of the council by council member Jocelyn Levi Straus of San Antonio, Tex., who is founding president and chairman of the advisory board of the San Antonio Performing Arts Assn. NEA spokeswoman Jill Collins said that Straus reflected a general concern among some council members, but said, “We categorically deny that we flag applications.”

Penny Boyer, associate director of the National Assn. of Artists’ Organizations--which includes Highways--attended the Friday council meeting, which was open to the public, and saw the slides and the videotape.

“Frankly, I couldn’t tell what the problem was,” she said, referring to the Smoke slides. She said that most of the Scarlett O. videotape was played at fast-forward speed, with only the overtly sexual portion played at regular speed.