Head of National Arts Endowment Says He’s Resigning

In a move that surprised Washington’s arts leadership Tuesday, National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Bill Ivey announced his resignation, effective Sept. 30--eight months before the end of his four-year term.

Ivey, federal arts agency chief since 1998, was unavailable for comment. He said in a prepared statement that he was stepping down at the end of the fiscal year so that “the new administration will be able to move efficiently to choose new leadership for the arts endowment.”

The White House confirmed the early departure was Ivey’s choice. Sources say it is typical for an incoming president to appoint a new NEA chief when the sitting director’s term is up.

“I will continue to work aggressively with this Congress to complete the budget appropriation process for fiscal year 2002, and to ensure that there is a smooth transition within the office of the chairman,” Ivey’s statement continued.

Last year, under Ivey, the endowment won a $7-million increase in its budget, the first since 1992, mainly on the strength of Ivey’s “Challenge America” program, which was largely to support arts education and youth services.

Congress has yet to act on the Bush administration’s request for $105 million in NEA funding for next year, the same as the current level.

During his tenure, Ivey, longtime director of Nashville’s Country Music Foundation, was widely considered a peacemaker for the beleaguered NEA. During the Clinton administration, the conservative Republican leadership in Congress drastically cut NEA’s funding, accusing it of sponsoring indecent performances, but failed to abolish the endowment.

A White House spokeswoman said Tuesday that, although the administration had expected Ivey to serve out his term, his resignation letter was cordial and his resignation represents a “friendly departure.”

Bob Lynch, president of Washington’s Americans for the Arts, a national arts advocacy organization, called Ivey “a great bridge character who has made good friends and contacts with both Republicans and Democrats on the Hill.”

Lynch added that he has heard “not a peep” about anyone waiting in the wings for the NEA position and noted that the administration is known to be behind where it wants to be in making its new appointments. “As the administration progresses, I’ve seen a lot of people stepping forward, pushing themselves for positions as Bush proteges, but not for the NEA.”

Ivey, 56, a mild-mannered Midwesterner from a small town in Michigan, has announced no specific plans for his future after his NEA tenure, save to say that he planned to take his “first real break from work in 30 years” and to begin work on several book projects. Also a teacher and writer, Ivey holds degrees in history, folklore and ethnomusicology.

Because of his moderate stance, as well as the popular notion that his Nashville ties might cause Bush to consider him a fellow Southerner, some arts-watchers hoped that the president might keep Ivey in the post beyond his allotted term.

Paul Minicucci, deputy director of the California Arts Council, said that although such a move would be “incredibly unusual, if anyone could have done it, Bill might have been that person. He has certainly been a nonpartisan player in the arts.”

John Paul Batiste, executive director of the Texas Commission on the Arts, said that during Bush’s tenure in Texas, he and the first lady were strong supporters of the arts.

“I do know and do believe very strongly that the current president has an openness and kind of heart that would be inclusive of what the arts have to offer,” Batiste said.

“I watched it happen in Texas. It didn’t happen in terms of a formula; they invited the arts community into their home, into their lives, very intimately, and without a lot of fanfare or prompting.”

Batiste added that he does not expect Bush to fan the anti-NEA flames of the late 1980s and early 1990s. “I don’t think that’s part of his M.O.”