Ars Gratia Populi - “Art For the People” - Friday Flashes - February 25, 1983

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya

Friday Flashes for February 25, 1983 outlines arts-support efforts in America, contrasting early private patronage with the creation of federal arts programs. It discusses pluralistic funding behind diverse American artistic excellence and connects major cultural initiatives to broader national developments, including job-driven WPA arts work and later federal support. It also introduces a forum on Social Security reform and highlights a talk featuring Fox Butterfield’s China-related analysis.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time14 min

AccessFree to download

Ars Gratia Populi orArt For the People

Friday Flashes (February 25, 1983)

National Commission on Social Security Reform

“Social Security: Back From the Brink”

“China: Alive In The Bitter Sea”

The Foundation's Purpose

# "Ars Gratia Populi orArt For the People”Friday Flashes—February 25,1983Frank Hodsoll March 11 San Francisco Chairman National Endowment for the Arts March 17 There have been two major efforts inAmerica to place the encouragement ofAmerican art on the national agenda.Thefirst,in the early 19th Century,led,as amatter of civic pride and individual gener-osity,to an extraordinary growth in artssupport by private citizens.The secondled to the creation of a federal agency,theArts Endowment,which has,in turn,prompted additional private giving.Theresulf is a pluralistic system of arts sup-port behind an unparalleled diversity ofAmerican excellence. San Jose The Honorable Mary FalveyFuller Member Modern Medicis ## National Commission onSocial Security Reform A tradition of private support of the artspredates the income tax(in 1913)and taxexemptions for charitable contributions(in 1917).To 19th century Europeans andAmericans,it was the Renaissance that re-presented Western civilization's highpoint.Many of our 19th century mer-chants and industrialists saw themselvesas "Modern Medicis,"and were readilydubbed by the press,"Cosimo's"or"Lorenzo's." ## "Social Security:Back From the Brink” San Francisco Noon,Friday·Rose RoomSheraton Palace Hotel This pattern continued through the firsthalf of the 20th century.Throughout thisperiod there was no direct federal subsidyor program.The WPA art program of the1930s was motivated more by need to pro-vide jobs than to create art,although it infact produced both.Similarly,in the late20th century,the Comprehensive Em-ployment and Training Act(CETA)hashelped artists,but its principal motivationis employment. Advance Tickets—$12 for members,$15for guests. San Jose Noon,ThursdayThunderbird BallroomRed Lion Inn·2050 Gateway Place Advance Tickets—$11 for members,$14for guests.Please see back page for ticketreservation information. Then,in 1957,Sputnik cast a long shad-ow across our assumed technologicaledge.The National Aeronautics andSpace Administration was created in1958.Millions of Federal dollars were in-vested in scientific research and educa-tion.University science faculties werevery pleased with this new federal lar-gesse,but their Liberal Arts colleagues feltleft out.As a result,they approachedWashington to initiate a program thatwould reduce some of the unpredictabilityinherent in private funding of thehumanities. Social Security—36 million recipients!Government's biggest commitment to itscitizens!Largest tax of 30 plus million tax-payers!A system that is losing $20,000 aminute!What can be done?How did weget into this situation?The Presidentformed a 15-member bipartisan commis-sion to study the problem and make rec-ommendations.Their controversialrecommendations are now before theCongress!What action will Congress take?Will it affect current recipients?Is bank-ruptcy on the horizon?What about theimpact on taxpayers?A complicated andvital issue!Find out what is going on—you need to know! The result was the passage,in 1965,ofthe National Foundation on the Arts andthe Humanities Act establishing NationalEndowments for the Arts and for the Hu-manities.The Endowments began in Dr.Henry Hunt KeithQuarterly Chairman Quarterly Chairman March 18 FoxButterfield Author ## "China:Alive In TheBitter Sea" Noon,FridayGold BallroomSheraton Palace Hotel Advance Tickets—$12 for members,$15 for guests.Please see AdvancedTicket Sale Procedure on back pagefor reservations. In the decade that Americans have en-joyed the opportunity to travel and learnabout China,the so-called "China myth"has glamorized and glorified the land andits people.Commentators and writers,seeking to present China in the best possi-ble light have not focused on the problemsof the country or the realities of commu-nist rule. Fox Butterfield's 1982 book China:AliveIn The Bitter Sea,“explodes this over-sight,"according to one reviewer.Head ofthe Peking bureau for the New York Timesfor

FAQs

What does the document describe as the two major efforts to support American art nationally?

It contrasts early 19th-century private encouragement and civic pride with the later creation of a federal agency, followed by additional private giving.

How does the document explain the WPA arts program’s motivation in the 1930s?

It states the program was motivated more by the need to provide jobs than to create art, while noting it produced both.

What is the focus of Fox Butterfield’s talk mentioned in the document?

It centers on his 1982 book China: Alive In The Bitter Sea, presenting problems of communist rule and the realities that other American observers allegedly failed to see.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by Aditya