Problem. Theyre trying to figure out how to keep their agents from looking at all the nude photographs that are sent, but theyre finding it hard to filter out for the nude pictures. Text messages are similarly not immune. The nsa collected almost 200 million Text Messages per day globally, using them to ascertain travel plans, social networks and credit card details. Let me be clear, this information is being collected on individuals who are not themselves suspected of any illegal activity. Georgetown professor Laura Donohue gave the keynote address at a National Security conference hosted by westminster college. Its in fulton, missouri. You can see her entire speech tonight starting at 9 30 eastern on our companion network, cspan. This monday on cspans new series landmark cases, by 1830, the Mississippi River around new orleans had become a breeding ground for kohl ra and yellow fever, partly due to slaughter houses in the area dumping their byproducts into the river. To address this problem, louisiana allowed only one government run slaughterhouse, crescent city, to operate in the City District and the other houses took them to court. Follow the cases of 1873. Were joined by constitutional law attorney and michael ross, author of the book, justice of shattered dreams, to help tell the history. The personal stories of the butchers and the state of things in new orleans, as well as the attorneys and Supreme Court justices involved in this close decision. Be sure to join the conversation as we take your calls, tweets and Facebook Comments during the Program Using the hashtag landmark cases. Live monday on cspan, cspan 3, and cspan radio. For background while you watch, order your copy of the landmark cases companion book available for 8. 95 plus shipping. National endowment for the arts chair jane chu recently outlined her plans for the arts endowment recently. She spoke at the National Press club for about an hour. Welcome to the National Press club. My name is john hughes. Im an editor for bloomberg first word. Thats bloomberg newss breaking news desk here in washington, and i am the president of the National Press club. Our speaker this morning is the chairman of the National Endowment for the arts, jane chu. We invited jane chu to be with us on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the nea which i understand the actual Anniversary Day is tomorrow. First, i want to introduce our distinguished head table. This table includes members of the National Press club and guests of our speaker. H right, lisa matthews, vicepresident at hagersharp and a member of the National PressClub Speakers Committee. Melissa walker, Creative Arts therapist and Healing Arts Program coordinator at the National Intrepid Center of excellence at Walter Reed National military center. Amy henderson, curator at the smithsonian portrait gallery and a member of the National Speaker committee. Able lopez, associate producing director of the gala hispanic theatre. Jerry zim ski, buffalo news, a past president of the National Press club and chairman of the press Club Speakers Committee. Skipping over our speaker for a moment, nick aposteletes, deputy ceo of the Visitors Center and a member of the press Club Speakers Committee who organized todays event. Thank you, nick. Faib yan barnes. I also want to welcome our cspan and our public radio audiences and remind you that you can follow the action on twitter. Use the hashtag npc live. Thats npc live. Jane chu was born the daughter of chinese immigrants in shawnee, oklahoma and she was raised in arkansas. She studied music growing up. She received a bachelors degree in piano performance and Music Education from baptist university. She received her masters degree in music and piano pedagogy from Southern Methodist university. She still wasnt done with education. She holds a masters degree in Business Administration from Rockhurst University and a phd in philanthropic studies from indiana university. Her career has included serving as president of the Kaufmann Center for the performing arts in kansas city and as executive at the kaufmann fund. She also has served as vicepresident of external relations for union station, kansas city. She was confirmed as the 11th chairman of the National Endowment for the arts last year after serving as the neas acting Top Executive since december 2012. As chairman, chu has said she wants to continue the conversation about the importance of the arts and Arts Education. Earlier this year, on a trip to los angeles, she said, quote, with the shifting demographics of america, this is a great opportunity for the arts to be at the center. She also said, quote, arts is an equalizer. Please join me in giving me a warm National Press club welcome to jane chu, chairman of the National Endowment of the arts. [ applause ] thank you, john. Thank you, john, and thank you to everybody joining us here and online to help us kick off the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Endowment for the arts. I want to acknowledge a few special guests who are sitting at the table who have been called out and are helping here to celebrate our milestone. Able lopez, associate producing director of the gala hispanic theatre. Its located here in washington d. C. And its a longtime grantee of the National Endowment for the arts. This was the first theatre in the nations capitol to offer Spanish Language productions. I also want to introduce faib yan barnes, director of Dance Institute of washington, another longtime grantee of the National Endowment for the arts. In addition to regular dance classes and professional performances, the Dance Institute offers an Award WinningMentorship Program called positive directions. The positive Directions Program prepares High School Students for college or employment by offering dance classes, life skills development, and educational services. Our third guest is melissa walker. Melissa is an Art Therapist at the Walter Reed National military Medical Center in bethesda where she works with Service Members who have been affected by posttraumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury and other invisible conditions from war. The National Endowment for the arts formed a Healing Arts Partnership with walter reed in 2011 which pairs melissa with writer and veteran ron caps and music therapist rebecca valdre around together these three visual arts, creative writing and Music Therapy are creating new possibilities for members of our military through the arts. Thank you for the work you do every day to empower and inspire people through the arts. [ applause ] in many ways 1965 was a time of optimism and hope of reawakening. The Voting Rights act had been signed just a month before the National Endowment for the arts was established and america completed its First Successful space walk earlier that summer. After three attempts, marchers from selma, alabama successfully reached the Capitol Steps in montgomery. It was a turbulent time to be sure but it was also one where we could begin to dream of new freedoms and new frontiers. It was in this climate that new aspirations for the American People that the National Endowment for the arts and the National Endowment for the humanities were created on september 29th, 1965. The idea was to form an agency that would nur tour and elevate the nations culture for the advancement of american civilization. Unlike the previous new deals wpa, the Works Progress administration program, neither the National Endowment for the arts or the National Endowment for humanities were formed for economic reasons. They were always considered to be about something bigger. President Lyndon Johnson signed the National Foundation on the arts and humanities act which gave birth to the nea and the neh. The purpose was to nurture american creativity, elevate the nations culture, and sustain and preserve the countrys artistic traditions throughout the nation, from dance neighborhoods of cities large and small, to vast, rural spaces for all americans to experience the arts. It was written that the world leadership which has come to the United States cannot rest solely upon superior technology, power, wealth, but must be solidly founded upon worldwide respect and admiration for the nations high qualities as a leader in the realms of ideas and of the spirit. Spirit and ideas, these are the things that energize us and that enrich us and that make our lives worth living. America is what it is today because of its commitment to chasing wild dreams and pursuing innovation and finding the passion that ignites our spirits. The congress of 1965 recognized that in order to be an effective leader with might and strength, you also had to have heart and soul. For the past 50 years, thats exactly what the National Endowment for the arts has been doing. From stepan wolf theatre to the American Film Institute and from prairie home companion and the sundance film festival, pbss live from Lincoln Center to more than 400 translations of literature from 86 countries and 66 languages and grants to attract students and teachers and audience members who could not buy their own tickets and initiatives to deliver programs to communities across the nation from earlier arts programs at military installations to featuring the masters of jazz and folk and traditional arts in schools and concert halls and on radio and tv, to the Deaf Initiative that brought arts to those with hearing challenges. Thousands of artists and Arts Organizations of all genres have received National Endowment for the arts grants during their formative years and over the past five decades National Endowment for the arts has made more than 147,000 grants totaling 5 billion and with a significant ability to leverage those dollars. For every dollar awarded by the National Endowment for the arts, an additional 7 to 9 from other funds were made to the same arts projects. A 17 ratio is a very good return on our investment. Our 50th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate these once emerging artists and Arts Organizations that are now world renown forces and applaud their contributions to americas Cultural Landscape. Its also an opportunity to celebrate the arts in our every day lives as well. When it comes to the arts, there is no such thing as a marginalized population. We are committed to ensuring that every individual from child to grandparent and from tenth generation to newly arrived immigrant has a chance to find their creative voice through the arts and live in a community where creativity can thrive. Why is this important . Because the arts instill our lives with value and connection and creativity and innovation. They make our world a richer and more rewarding place to live. For instance, the gala hispanic theatre is a major cultural touch stone for washingtons hispanic community. Through the power of performance it gives people an opportunity to celebrate who they are and where theyre from and for others gala is a way to connect with the cultures, traditions, and art forms of their neighbors and see how our differences are a cause for celebration rather than a means of division. At the positive Directions Mentoring Program at the Dance Institute of washington, 100 of alumni have graduated from high school and attend college, and some have even gone on to perform with prestigious Dance Companies and on broadway. What explains this level of success . A few years ago faib yan barnes explained that in dance youre taught to carry yourself in a way that lets people know you take pride in yourself. That is the power of the arts. Theres a similar sense of empowerment at walter reed. One Service Member explained how the process of arts therapy worked. He said were trapped in our own heads in these dreams and these nightmares and these flashbacks, but once we get down into the writing and music and art, that we can control and we can do what we want to. We can change it and take it anywhere we want to whenever we want to. As weve prepared for our 50th birthday, many people have reached out to us with stories about the power of the arts in their own lives. Sue bell is joining us today from merriams kitchen, a shelter here in washington d. C. For chronically homeless men and women who face physical or mental challenges. Sue, will you please stand . Sue told us the story of marvin who first arrived at merriams kitchen six years ago. Marvin regularly ate meals at the shelter but he was frequently uncommunicative and Staff Members found it difficult to find a way to truly reach him. I want to reach to you what sue wrote. Art therapy turned out to be marvins game changer. It became his way to express himself when he wasnt up for talking. He began with manned las circle and moved to jewelry making and it became the foundation for our case managers to earn his trust and help him consider accepting permanent supportive housing. In may 2014, after countless merriams kitchen meals and Case Management services, marvin slept in his own bed for the first time in six years, and together were helping marvin maintain his home and thrive in his new life. Thank you, sue, for sharing the story of marvins ability to express himself through the arts. [ applause ] then theres the story from wanda from conway, North Carolina who let us know about her experience drawing with her grandchild. She wrote, in that precious time we got lost in our imaginations, talking about colors and shapes and shadows. It was absolute heaven. It was a time and feeling and joy that i doubt either of us will be likely to ever forget. Maria mendoza from dallas, texas wrote to tell us her story. She said i had the privilege of attending and graduating from booker t. Washington high school for the performing and visual arts in dallas, texas, and in that space i learned to embrace my identity and discover my capabilities. There was a constant push to be anything but ordinary. Dance has inspired me to find different ways of tackling and handling issues. These stories are testament to the power of the arts to change lives, and while were celebrating the work of the arts and the National Endowment for the arts over the past 50 years, we also began to ask ourselves how we can best multiply these transformative arts experiences over the next 50 years. How can we better understand and expand the ways that the arts infuse our country. How is the arts infrastructure changing and how can the National Endowment for the arts and other creative entities change with it to better support the ideas and the initiatives and the dreams of American People. So to explore these questions, were announcing the launch of a new initiative today called creativity connects. Creativity connects will build those relationships between the arts and the general public as well as between the arts and Different Industries outside of the arts. We have three main objectives with this initiative. One is to show how the arts are central to the countrys creativity ecosystem, and two, it will investigate how support systems for the arts are changing. Three, it will explore how the arts connect with other industries that want and use creativity. Were already in the midst of planning ten roundtables across the country that will draw in people with backgrounds in the arts, science, business, engineering, you name it. During these conversations well discuss where theyll find creativity in their personal lives and their careers, what kinds of benefits the arts bring to the table, and well identify any gaps that can be strengthened to connect the arts to other fields that want creativity. So using information from these roundtables and inputs from experts across Different Industries, well produce a summary report on the state of the arts today and the report will give an overview of changing artistic practices and the key pieces that arts providers need in order to produce their very best work. Through this we hope that new programs and partnerships will emerge that will fortify the spaces and the skills Capital Markets and networks that artists need in order to thrive. This report will help inform the next phase of creativity connects building a Digital Interactive systems map. This is a map that will help the public visualize what types of projects are happening in the area of the creativity in the 21st century, who is supporting it, and what existing resources are available to strengthen the art sector, so no matter who you are or where you live, our hope is that all americans can use this map to locate their role within the creative ecosystem dn creativity and the arts are to their every day lives. Well introduce these elements to this initiative over the next weeks and months in order to support innovative projects between nonprofit Arts Organizations and nonArts Organizations that want the creativity that the arts can provide. Were so excited about this because we have an opportunity to build bridges between fields and expand the support base for the arts and demonstrate to other fields the benefits of working with the arts and culture sector. So this creativity connects initiative ensures that were not only nurturing the conditions that will allow creativity to thrive today but for the next 50 years as well. This is a Forward Focus and it provides the impetus for two other new initiatives, both of which will support the bright minds and emerging talent of tomorrow. So were so excited to announce a partnership with play bill and Disney Theatrical group to pilot a program to come pose the lyrics and song and the song writing challenge will officially launch in mid 2016 and will initially be limited to three cities in the pilot phase. Were looking forward to providing more details on how the High School Students can submit their own songs in the coming year. Were also encouraging the talent and the creativity of our young people by adding a new element to our annual poetry out loud competition which is for High School Students which is called poetry ourselves. In addition to reciting published poems written by other poets, each of our state champions will be given the opportunity to submit an original work of their own poetry. This original poem will be judged separately from their recitations in the National Finals and function as a separate competition for poetry writing. Later this fall well also announce those who have been awarded grants for the imagine your parks program. Its a special Anniversary Program that celebrates the Natural Beauty and diversity of our National Park system. Grant projects will support the arts that take place in or were inspired by our National Parks, and it will expand the ways that we think about the arts in relation to our natural world. So those are our plans for the 50th anniversary initiatives. Now lets talk about the celebratory events coming down the line. Tomorrow, september 29th, well host a moderated panel of nea chairs including frank hod sell, jane alexander, Rocco Landsman and me and the panel will be moderated by pbs news hour co anchor and managing editor judy woodru woodruff. On october 14th well honor the joint anniversary of the National Endowment for the arts and humanities. This celebration concert which will be called a celebration of american creativity will feature performances by a number of american musicians and later broadcast nationally on pbs on january 8th, 2016. In december of this year well be participating in an Anniversary Event in conjunction with the National Endowment for the humanities at the lyndon b. Johnson president ial library in austin, texas, to honor the president whose signature brought our two agencies into existence. In addition to my travels, i will continue to visit communities throughout the country, meeting with local community leaders, Arts Organizations, artists, federal policy makers to see how the arts are making a difference in the places they call home. This will be part of my effort to continue the National Conversation about the importance of the arts in our lives. To close out our anniversary celebration, well host a National Convening in conjunction with the Kennedy Center in october 2016. Our focus will be on the future of the arts in america and this convening will bring together artists, thinkers, policy makers, as we continue the dialogue about how we can strengthen the arts sector for the next 50 years and explore how the arts are a critical component to imagining and building and securing our future. Throughout this coming year well also be posting new multimedia content on our website that show cases the impact of the arts on the nation in partnership with our wonderful state arts agencies, our great regional Arts Organizations. This content will include more than 60 videos highlighting the role that the arts play in every u. S. State, district, territory, and region. Well also produce a dozen milestone videos detailing the key grants in the history of the National Endowment for the arts and how those grants have made an impact on American Culture as a whole. Through crowd sourcing well continue to collect and post stories from the public on how the arts and the National Endowment for the arts have influenced their lives. Weve already received hundreds of stories and we welcome your stories, too. You can browse through a selection from our story bank by visiting our website at arts. Gov where you can find stories like sues and wandas and marias. We hope that with each event we host in every initiative we launch were moving closer to having all of us understand and appreciate the many ways that the arts and the National Endowment for the arts have touched their lives and their communities. Since taking office last summer, ive met with and i continue to meet with members of congress here in washington d. C. And in their home states advocating for why the arts matter. Ive traveled to almost 30 states and 107 communities building relationships with state and local leaders, seeing first hand how our nea grantees are changing their communities for the better. As ive made the case for the why the arts matter, ive been joined by the voices of arts advocates and patrons and leaders, musicians, playwrights, painters, art teachers, designers, mayors of communities large and small, national leaders, state governors. Eventually i hope everybody watching today will join in this chorus, too. Its time to move away from the notion that the arts are a separate part of society and that some people can participate in the arts and others can not. We are seeing first hand that the opposite is true. When we see through hard evidence that the nonprofit arts sector alone, the sector that the National Endowment for the arts supports contributed 12. 1 billion in one year to the nations economy and employed 168,000 workers in one year who earned a total of 7. 8 billion in compensation all in a single year, this tells us that the nonprofit arts sector alone has a formidable presence. When we see that the ways have expanded we can celebrate that americans recognize the value and the meaning that the arts bring to our every day lives. Theyre a sector thats robust and textured and the Cultural Landscape can accommodate these different perspectives and attitudes and behaviors of america better than it ever has before. Because america is recognized throughout the world as a place where the size of your dreams is limited only by your imagination, where creativity can inspire new things, that at some point in time may have seemed impossible, and where selfexpression thrives without restriction, this is what has allowed our Cultural Landscape to flourish and become so blooming and vibrant. The National Endowment for the arts is here to nourish those dreams and that creativity and that expression. It has been a remarkable 50 years, and we are looking forward to an equally remarkable future. Thank you. [ applause ] thank you so much. I have some Great Questions that people have written down for you. If the nea wants to connect to the creativity of americans across the country, how will you partner with the tech giants like facebook, google, twitter, et cetera, that have the online audience and that ability to connect so many . The answer is yes. That is a great question because creativity weve seen that are so many areas including technology as youve mentioned in this question, its burgeoning. So we limit ourselves any time we think that creativity only happens in one place. We see creativity happening in the choreographers studio and in the artists studio but we also see creativity happening through the technology and we see it happening in the back booth of the coffee shop. So our ideas of connecting with all of them and seeing how all of this is burgeoning and ultimately connecting one to the other is at the heart of what were wanting to do with the creativity connects initiative. So to be continued on that. We wont be ignoring all the areas of creativity thats happening, including technology. Questioner says tell us more about the initiative you mentioned regarding veterans in the arts. We would love to continue to expand our work with the military Service Members, and thank you, melissa. I know shes echoing our sentiments. Weve seen so much of a transformation and ability to support the military Service Members at walter reed and now we want to expand. The idea is can we get into all the communities, especially when our Service Members from walter reed go back to their homes. Theres something there that we can always continue. We know the power of the transformation of arts and what it can do for all of us, and we want our Service Members and veterans to be able to have that, too. In a more specific way on this issue, how can the arts be used in healing within healthcare . So how can the arts support people who have memory loss and chronic illnesses and how also can the arts support their caregiv caregivers . The arts are a wonderful tool to be able to support those in the aging process. That would only be me and not you. Im teasing because were all aging. The arts are central to that and we have our center for creative aging who is thriving in that area, too. We have seen the arts be an equalizer. We talked about people who were having dementia challenges. Weve seen arts be an equalizer. It calls out the dimension in each of us and those with dementia who can remember and express themselves through a different way than just the linear use of every day words. So the arts are critical to our Human Development, our health and wellbeing, and the programs are starting to burningen out there. The more programs we can support in that area through poetry and writing and dancing and singing and theyre all attached to the creative aging process. We will soon find that thats one of the best avenues for expression, especially those challenged with dementia. How do you see the arts engaging Older Americans as the opportunities of this demographic shift toward longer, healthier lives . Is there any specific outreach for the elderly . Similar to the creative aging type, we are starting to see and i just visited a place in california where theres a Senior Center where arts are thriving there and its at the heart of all they do now to express themselves. So as we all age and get older and find different ways to express ourselves, we can get even more immersed in the arts, free ourselves, and it calls out what we talked about before and what is that spirit and that imagination that helps us thrive way beyond just the linear, every day activities. You mentioned in your talk, this question notes, about arts being a great equalizer. How can the nations art museums be more accessible to all people and help further the neas mission . Weve seen really great programs coming out of art museums that are answering and asking that same question. Whats so great about this is that those art producers, artists, arts administrators, programmers, are starting to think about creative ways to make sure that they are reaching and becoming meaningful and relevant to the community. Ive seen some programs out there that are equalizers for those who have english as their second language or not as their first language because there are other ways to express themselves. Its such an equalizer. It puts everybody on an equal Playing Field. Museums are starting to burningen also in that area. So check around some of the great things that are happening there. Do you face any negative perception issue with members of congress over the neas budget due to the culture wars of the 1990s, and could you also give us an update on how youre doing on your budget with congress and your overall funding situation. Weve met actively with members of congress and i want to thank also for those arts advocates and patrons and all of you who continue to communicate and education whats out there. The main message we want to get out to congress and absolutely everybody is that the arts are not in a corner and theyre not a frill. They infuse our lives every day in so many different ways and we want to make sure we have this mindset of both and as opposed to either or. If you win, that means i lose. What were trying to get across is the message of both and. You can have different perspectives and they come together and the arts are great at that. Ill tell one quick story and then answer your question about members of congress. I was my parents were from china and they came over to the United States separately. They met in the United States. I was born in oklahoma as mentioned before. I grew up in arkansas. So i always have struggled and navigated through this bok choi corn dog setup. If youve ever been in that setup where you have tried and figured out how to honor the different ways, the different perspectives of how people think because you cannot force fit them to be exactly alike, that has been my whole life. Ive come to very much appreciate how to do that, how to appreciate the ambiguity of that and be able to connect them again without forcing everybody to be exactly alike. The arts are one of the best ways to honor the different perspectives and the ways people think as long as we can continue to send out that message that the arts are everywhere. Theyre not a frill. So when i meet with members of congress and i very much appreciated getting to talk with many of them, they have actually been very receptive and i very much appreciated our conversations to a person. At this point we are most appreciative that the nea budget is Holding Steady and its stabilized. When many pots of allocations have shrunk, the nea budget, there have been no amendments to cut it. So we believe that is a moving away from trends of yesteryear as you mentioned before. People are really starting to understand that the arts are tied to healthcare and Human Development and our Service Members and theyre tied to Arts Education and theyre tied to equalizing the Playing Field and theyre tied to honoring the different perspectives that we all are born into, come with, or meet every day. Thats one of the best ways to connect. And so we have been very appreciative in complex budget conditions that the arts have become stable. And the nea has become stable. How Many Organizations would disappear without funding help from the nea . Do you have any idea how many are entirely dependent . I would have to get you a i couldnt even hazard a guess to that, but were so appreciative because of the network that the National Endowment for the arts has, we work in tandem with our state arts agencies, our regional Arts Organizations. We have local arts agencies and we have a Large Network of Service Organizations as well. So all together if you look at this network that weve built together, the arts are thriving. Theyre not off by themselves. Theyre not solo players. Were all honoring the different ways we work, but on the other hand were partners together. So if you asked the question on how many would go away, it would be a really complex because we have such a strong tapestry of a network in the field, it would really be hard to answer. Were all in this together. I have a couple questions about individual artists and theyre related so ill ask both of these questions. One is will the nea ever consider funding individual artists again, and the other one is, president obamas campaign included an arts platform. One of the proposals was to create a modern day wpatype program called artists core. Isnt there a way for government to do more to support artists . When, as you know during what you were calling the culture wars, there were direct grants earlier from the National Endowment for the arts to individual artists and that was removed during the culture wars. But to clarify, individual artists as well as the wpa, there are still connections between individual artists and jobs for arts. First of all, the National Endowment for the arts does still fund individual writers, so in the literature area that still is, fellowships, writing, and we also provide and honor individuals in the jazz, the nea jazz masters as well as our folk and traditional arts medals. But the way individual artists are supported through the National Endowment for the arts really is through the nonprofit organizations that have programs that bring in individual artists. We can do chapter and verse on specific ones but not directly. Then in terms of the question about the wpa, when you start really looking at how many jobs in the Nonprofit Sector which are supported in arts and also the National Endowment for the arts funding with the Arts Organizations, its already formidable in its own way so it isnt just the wpa providing jobs. There are jobs out there through the National Endowment for the arts support so its more diffuse but its still there, the concept is there. How has the reduction of art and music programming in k12 education affected the significance of the Creative Arts in American Life and what can nea do to counter this trend . We are very concerned and very aware of the cuts in Arts Education in the schools and because we think that its more than just a frill, as weve said before, weve seen first hand when i visited in california in a low Income Neighborhood with very few opportunities, here was an Elementary School that had an arts program that not only had arts and Music Lessons but they had curriculum that infused science and the teaching of math. The teacher said, the Science Teacher said, it was a third grade class, when i used the arts curriculum for the science test, the kids standardized tests, not in the arts but in science, sky rocketed. Regrettably, i tried to pull the arts curriculum away just for one lesson and the standardized tests went down. Thats simply an illustration of what we know the power of Arts Education can do and not only in the arts themselves but connected. Its like a mini creativity connects initiative. We know that the arts has an overlay on other subjects that we think can add a dimension to the quality of our lives, higher academic performance strongly associated with feeling like youve been able to express themselves. When you come to Arts Education and its been cut, we want to get out the message, youre cutting the dimensions to so many other things that make our lives richer, makes students ability to perform academically and socially in other aspects as well. What were doing is while nea has always supported programs for students and always supported programs that help teachers develop and will continue to do so, now were supporting with far larger grants, upwards in the 100, 150,000 area and can be multiple years renewed for a collective impact that connects schools with Community Organizations that are out there doing great jobs as well. If we can start thinking in terms of the whole system and have everybody connected together just as we talked about the network before, thats what were going in with to see if we can start stabilizing that. Were very concerned. Were going to have the education secretary in later this week. Great. This questioner asks, what are the chances that nea can work with the department of education. The questioner notes that the department of education seems focused on datadriven outcomes for Student Success such as employment, salaries, loan payback rates. What can nea do to help the department of education redefine Student Success to include joy, creativity, the other things that the arts bring . Well, weve been very appreciative of our partnerships with our federal agencies, including the department of education, hud, and a number of others. We have some active partnerships between 30 and 35 other federal agencies, so as a great illustration, look what the Dance Institute has done in terms of its ability to help students through dance. High School Students graduate, many attend college. Many of them get jobs. Actually 100 of them graduate. So when you see examples like this in working in tandem with other federal agencies such as the department of education, we want to deepen those conversations. Were not off in silos. Were working together. We meet quarterly with hud and share stories with what theyre doing. There was so much connection we were able to say we need to be doing some of this together. This questioner notes that as we are here at the National Press club, what would you say about the state of Arts Coverage in this country . Is it pretty on target, or is there room for significant improvement . Theres room for improvement. Theres room for communication. The one thing that ive seen now that ive traveled for a year, the arts are thriving. There are so many great things happening in nearly every community. It can be more robust and things can be leveraged even more, but they are thriving. When youve seen one community and this is the key to it. When youve seen one community, youve only seen one community and that is a key to how many different ways the arts can infuse our lives, but not everybody has to be exactly the same. There are nuances within every community that means something to one community that may mean Something Different in another. So the arts can customize and be transformed that way. So the one place that i think we can deepen our broaden is our ability to communicate that this is happening. So, yes, it can be significantly increased in terms of our ability to communicate. Hey, the arts are thriving. It means something to all of us, and they provide that value and the meaning and they connect us. We need to get that message out even more. A couple questions about washington. How have you found running an Arts Organization different in washington versus kansas city where you ran the Kaufmann Center for the performing arts, and how has washington impressed you as a Cultural Center . I love washington and there are some wonderful washington d. C. Arts providers. Theres something for everyone in this microcosm of a city. So its been great. In many ways running a performing arts center, the Kaufmann Center for the performing arts in kansas city has been similar to washington in that its still that mindset of bok choi and corn dogs, its still that mindset at the Kaufmann Center for the performing arts, pulling people together who loved the arts for Different Reasons but didnt always have the same perspective. Dry wallers because i oversaw the construction of the Kaufmann Center for the performing arts, i had hard hat hair for five years and we were talking with dry wallers and oboe players and they dont talk the same way. Now were in washington and we have that opportunity again to honor the different ways, the perspectives, sometimes theyre opposing to each other without force fitting everybody to be alike. I see more similarities ties actually, maybe a little more dense in population. A couple questions related to your background. How has your training as a professional musician influenced your leadership style at the nea and put another way, how has being an artist affected how you lead the nea . Its been absolutely central to my leadership style to have been involved in the arts, to be involved in the arts. My original training was in music and i just lived for it. I attended every music camp i could from third grade through high school. I majored in music in college. One of the ways its affected my leadership style is that its a big deal for me to think6sen Emotional Intelligence, so what we do is important but how we do it is equally as important. So my training in the same. The composers werent thinking the same way. But i would, as the performer, would have to make sure i was representing the style of that composer. When youre leading an organization, everybody you talk to isnt always beethoven. You have to understand where theyre coming from just as much as you do befo you even lead because you cant lead anything if you dont have any followers. So being able to connect with them and have them feel like theyve been heard is the first step, and paying attention to the different nuances and the styles came from my original training, especially in the music. Speaking of beethoven, is the ageing of the audiences for Classical Music and opera a threat to those art forms future viability . I dont think so. It would be looking like a whole garden of flowers and if you looked at one set of flowers and said the peonies are okay, but theyre not thriving and then you looked at the roses and said the whole garden is not thriving, thats not how we look. Governments today have an advisory role in icann. They do not make policy. They cannot have a seat on our board of directors. This is very much in fact a triumph of showing how a private sectorled institution that has we have a really cool process you were mentioning contemporary art. It used to be they were off in different categories. Now were seeing that because the world has become so global, even the art forms are starting to do this giant mashup. So there are pieces that used to be and lets use an orchestra with a video. It used to be a video would accompany the wonderful music of an orchestra, but now we see there are pieces created where the video and the orchestra together are the piece and you cant really extract the two without losing the entire piece. Art forms are becoming that way as well in terms of the global mash up. So one of the things e we want to make sure were honoring is making sure our grants are relevant and honoring the new forms coming online. So we have a threestep process. The first people who read the we bring in citizens, experts in the field including laypersons who review the proposals first. Its a wonderful thing. Were cognizant of the different contemporary art and different styles. People are really with it when reviewing this proposal. Some think that film as an art form is on the e decline. What do you think about film . When the ways people participate in the arts are expanding, so lets broaden the way were looking at it. I think film is actually when you start looking at some of these film festivals where hundreds of thousands of people are coming in for a week to a city thats not only burgeoning in tourism and hotel and lodging, but new films and the development of films are thriving because they have this massive audience for a week or a month or a summer o or however. Thats the new way people are participating. What kind of responsibility do you see the arts managers of tomorrow needing to be focused on . What would your advice be to future art managers . One of the things im seeing is a trend nationally is that it used to be that an arts leader or arts manager was highlighted for their availability to lead. If they were very informed and a specialist in a certain area. They really know their stuff in x area. But nowadays the leaders of tomorrow and today are ones who know how to cincinnati the size different pieces. The world is becoming more global. Those who stand in the middle and listen to those who understand the nuances of different ways people are coming but really having that Emotional Intelligence level of combining those. They dont seemingly fit or dont look like they are fitting but can honor the different ways and bring them together. Those are the future skills of leaders of tomorrow. In the past there have been calls to create a secretary for the arts as a cabinet level position. Is there any restructuring of the arts in the federal government that should happen . We havent had any discussion in the cabinet. We are appreciative in terms of the complexity of holding stable. Its a symbol of how important the arts are. Its back to that same thing we want to get across. They are not in a corner. They are not a thrill. They really touch all of our activities even when were aware of it or whether were not aware of it. So that is one demonstration of other people recognizing it. Something we want to get that message across as the arts belong to everyone. We are almost out of time, but before i get to the last question or two, i have some housekeeping. The National Press club is the world leaseding professional organization for journalists and we fight for a free press worldwide. To learn more about the National Press club, go to press. Org and to donate to our nonprofit institute, visit press. Org institute. Id like to remind you about upcoming speakers and they are all this week. Its a busy week at the National Press club. On wednesday, september 30th, education secretary arne duncan will address the National Press club luncheon. On thursday, october 1st, the National Press club welcomes a luncheon address. And on friday, october 2nd, utah governor gary herber will address a lun con. Id like to present our guest with the most honorary heirloom a National Press club mug. I wanted to ask you a couple questions about the big picture. President kennedy said that a nation will be judged not by its politics or wars, but by its contribution to the human spirit. How is the United States doing . I tend to think in terms of what we can be. It really is back to the United States thriving and winning when we can imagine and when we can dream with our own creativity on what we can be. I think when president kennedy made those comments, thats back to the spirit that we dont ever want to lose. And we dont ever want to have anybody take it away from us either. Lets continue to spark the spirit within us. It sounds like a commercial, but arts are great at doing that. Lets give ourselves permission to make sure we can honor that. Thats when america is at its finest. And finally on the eve of the National Endowment of the arts 50th anniversary, what do you