Stars Lobby Congress for Arts Funding

Some come to lobby at the Capitol in fine suits. Others wear expensive dresses or military uniforms. But he who comes wearing jeans and a 10-gallon hat shall be heard first, especially if he is Garth Brooks.

Brooks, Kenny G, Christopher Reeve and Michael Bolton, along with some 400 more ordinary mortals, descended Tuesday on the Senate and House to lobby for continued federal funding for the arts and cultural programs.

Country singer Brooks accomplished what National Endowment for the Arts Chairwoman Jane Alexander has been unable to do, despite several requests over the last few months: He met with House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) to discuss the endowment’s future.

Brooks reported that his private meeting with Gingrich, who has suggested that the arts endowment should be terminated, was much more positive than he expected. “He said he’s not against the NEA. I will take the gentleman’s word for it, and I’m going to hold him to his word.”

But Brooks said that Gingrich told him he supported cuts in public broadcasting because he believes that other sources of funding can be found.

Brooks said that he wanted to meet with Gingrich to counter the idea that artists are wealthy and do not need federal funding. “I was here to tell him 99% of people who do arts don’t have the money that the faces do that you see on TV.”

The celebrities posed with members of Congress and their staffs, in between meeting with key committee members. Bolton and Kenny G described their meetings as encouraging.

Pop singer Bolton said that the endowment provides important seed money for the arts, adding: “It’s like we’re asking for water to keep alive trees that are bearing tremendous fruit. They’re thinking of cutting down the wrong trees.” Speakers at a breakfast kicking off the lobbying day repeatedly said that arts funding is fiscally smart, creating jobs and generating federal and local tax dollars. They rejected the notion that it is elitist.

Kenny G, a jazz saxophonist, described himself as a product of NEA-funded arts education programs in Washington state.

About 20 Californians came to lobby, according to Susan Hoffman, executive director of the California Confederation of the Arts in San Francisco.

With the arts endowment and the National Endowment for the Humanities facing strong challenges in Congress, the 15-year-old arts lobbying day had an “unbelievable” increase in participants this year, said Carole Sorell, vice president of the sponsoring American Council for the Arts.

The House may vote as early as today on whether to cut $5 million from each of the endowments this year. Some in Congress have called for eliminating federal funding entirely.