The New American Arts Order

A CLARION call for the redefinition of art by governmental fiat has just been issued by the American Assembly, an elite publicpolicy group headquartered at Columbia University. There may be those who might doubt that such a prestigious body as the American Assembly would get itself involved in proposing the redefinition of art, but it has, and here’s the quote: “The statutory definition of the arts must be revised, if necessary, to embrace activities, forms, and expressions that may not be eligible for assistance according to current definitions.”

This bit of cultural law-giving, intended for the guidance of government but rich in implications for the private sector as well, is contained in a pamphlet called The Arts & Government: Questions for the Nineties. The pamphlet summarizes the recommendations from a conference last November that was funded by the Rockefeller and the AT&T foundations, and attended by some 73 figures from the arts, arts institutions, government, foundations, and corporations.

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Samuel Lipman

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A CLARION call for the redefinition of art by governmental fiat has just been issued by the American Assembly, an elite publicpolicy group headquartered at Columbia University. There may be those who might doubt that such a prestigious body as the American Assembly would get itself involved in proposing the redefinition of art, but it has, and here’s the quote: “The statutory definition of the arts must be revised, if necessary, to embrace activities, forms, and expressions that may not be eligible for assistance according to current definitions.”

This bit of cultural law-giving, intended for the guidance of government but rich in implications for the private sector as well, is contained in a pamphlet called The Arts & Government: Questions for the Nineties. The pamphlet summarizes the recommendations from a conference last November that was funded by the Rockefeller and the AT&T foundations, and attended by some 73 figures from the arts, arts institutions, government, foundations, and corporations.