Politicalization of the NEA by Obama
August 28, 2009
Evidently, no corner of our lives is safe from involvement by the Obama administration. Obama now wants to make sure you are listening to the right music, seeing the right painting and reading the right poem. Who knows, the latest hip hop song or poem you heard may have been inspired by Obama and his administration. How? Obama is now using the NEA to convince artists to create art that helps advance his agenda for America.
The National Endowment of the Arts has always been a little left of center, but we all know (in general) liberals make the best art. Recently, the NEA held a conference call with 75 artists, musicians, writers and poets and asked them to create works of art in their respective fields related to health care reform and global warming. The call was led by NEA director Yosi Sergant and Michael Skolnik the political director for Russell Simmons. The pair stressed that the artists should focus on these issues and help the Obama administration focus the attention of the nation on their solutions. Patrick Courrielche, a film producer on the call was bothered by the administrations request for political propaganda and has spoken out on various television programs.
Why is the Obama administration asking artists to create art focused on their political agenda? I think the answer is obvious – they want to win. Of course, sometimes winning at all costs isn’t worth the price. Love it or hate it, the NEA’s purpose is to support excellence in the arts – not advance political speech from one party. The White House should stay out of the business of art – let the artist determine what they should create.
