Portrait gallery and a member of the National PressClub Speakers Committee. Able lopez associate producing director of the hispanic theater. Jerry, the rock Washington Bureau chief of the Washington News past president of the National Press club and chairman of the press Club Speakers Committee. Skipping over the speaker for a moment, nick of the u. S. Capitol Visitor Center and the National PressClub Speakers Committee who organize todays event. Thank you, nick. Vapian of the Dance Institute of washington, freelance reporter and blogger who covers the arts. [applause] i also want to welcome the cspan and public radio audiences and remind you that you can follow the action on glitter. Use the hash tag npclive. Thats npclive. Jane chu was born the daughter of chinese immigrants in shawnee oklahoma and was raised in arkansas. She studied music growing up. She received a bachelors degree in piano performance and Music Education from the baptist university. She received her masters degree in music and piano from Southern Methodist university and she still wasnt done with education. She holds a masters degree in Business Administration from Rockhurst University and a phd from the philanthropic studies from indiana university. Her career has included serving as president of the Kauffman Center for the performing arts in kansas city, and as executive at the Kauffman Fund she served as the Vice President of external relations for the Union Station kansas city. The national gun of the arts after serving as the nda acting top executive. As the chairman, jane chu said she wants to continue the conversation about the importance of the arts and Arts Education. With the shifting demographics of america this is a great opportunity for the arts to the epicenter. She also said that art is an equalizer. Please join me for the National Press club welcomed his duty to jane chu, National Endowment. [applause] thank you for joining us online to kick off the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the National Endowment of the arts. I want to acknowledge a few special guests that are sitting at the table that have been called out and are helping here to celebrate our milestone. Abel lopez associate producing director of the hispanic theater, the latino hispanic theater is located here in washington, d. C. And is a longtime guarantee of the National Government for the arts. This was the first theater in the Nations Capital to offer spanishlanguage production. I also want to introduce the director of the institute of washington, another longtime guarantee of the National Endowment for the arts and in addition to regular dance classes and professional performances, Dance Institute offers an awardwinning Mentorship Program called positive directions and the positive direction prepares High School Students for college or employment by offering dance classes, Life Skills Development and educational services. They have been affected by postherpetic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury and other invisible conditions from the war. The National Endowment for the artform that Healing Arts Partnership with walter reed in 2011 which pairs melissa with the veteran ron capps and music therapist rebecca and together these three the visual creative therapy are creating new possibilities for the members of the 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 of hope and awakening. The Voting Rights act has been signed just a month before the National Endowment for the arts was established in america completed its First Successful space walk earlier that summer and after three attempts the marchers from selma alabama successfully reached the Capitol Steps in montgomery and it was a turbulent time to be sure but it was also one we could begin to dream of new freedoms and frontiers and it was in this climate new aspirations for the American People the National Endowment for the arts and the National Endowment for the humanities were created on september 291965 so the idea was to form an agency that would nurture and elevate the nations culture for the advancement of american civilization. Unlike the previous new deal the Works ProgressAdministration Program either the National Endowment for the arts or the National Madonna for the humanities were formed for economic reasons that were always considered it 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 nadh and the purpose is to nurture american creativity, elevate the nations culture and sustain and preserve the countrys artistic tradition throughout the nation from dense neighborhoods of cities large and small to the vast 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 as the superior technology. Americas commitment to wild dreams and pursuing innovation and finding the passion that ignites the spirits. In order to be an effective leader with might and strength you also have to have heart and soul. For the past 50 something years thats exactly what the National Endowment for the arts have been doing from double theater to the American Film Institute and from prairie home companion and the Sundance Film Festival live from Lincoln Center to more than 400 translations of literature from 86 other countries and 66 language and grants to attract students and teachers in initiatives to deliver programs to the communities across the nation for the programs of the military installation to featuring the masters of jazz and folk and traditional arts in schools and concert halls and radio and tv to the initiative that brought the arts to those with hearing challenges. Thousands of artists and Arts Organizations of all genres have received National Endowment for the arts during the formative years and over the past five decades the National Endowment for the arts made more than 147,000 grams totaling 5 billion with a significant ability to leverage the dollars so for every dollar a word of the National Madonna for the arts in additional seven to 9. The anniversary of the opportunity to celebrate these ones emerging artists. When it comes to the arts there is art there is no such thing and the marginalized population we are committed to ensuring that every individual from child to grandparent and from the tenth generation to the newly arrived immigrant to live in the a community where creativity can thrive. Why is this important . Because the arts and still our lives without leave and connection and creativity and innovation and they make our world a more rewarding place to live. For instance, the hispanic theater is a major cultural touchstone for washington Hispanic Community and through the power of performance it gives people an opportunity to celebrate who they are and where they are from and for others its a way to connect with the cultures of the traditions and art forms of their neighbors and see to see how our differences are a cause for celebration. He explained in dance you are taught to carry yourself in a way ourselves in a way that lets you know you take pride in resolve that is the power of the arts. There is a similar sense of empowerment at walter reed one Service Member explained how the process of arts therapy worked. He said we are trapped in our own heads and the dreams and nightmares and flashbacks that once we get down to the music and art that we can control and do what we want to and we can change it and take it anywhere we want to whenever we want to. Many people have reached out to us with stories about the arts in their own lives they face mental and physical challenges. Soon, will you please stand . Shes told us the story of marvin that first arrived at the kitchen six years ago and regularly ate meals at the shelter but was frequently uncommunicative and staff numbers found it difficult to find a way to reach them. Art therapy turned out to be the game changer. And to bring himself up for talking to begin with the sacred circles and out of jewelry making. And in may of 2014 he slept in his own bed for the first time in six years and together we are helping marvin maintain his home and thrive in his new life. Thank you for sharing the story of marvins ability to express himself through the arts. [applause] from conway North Carolina who let us know about the experience crawling with her grandchild she wrote in that precious time we got lost in our imagination talking about colors and shapes and shadows it was absolute heaven. It was a time of feeling and joy that i doubt either of us will be likely to ever forget and Maria Amendola wrote to tell us her story and here is what she said. I have the privilege of attending and graduating from booker t. Washington high school for the performing and visual arts in dallas texas and to discover my capabilities there was a constant push to be anything but ordinary. Damn has inspired me to find different ways of tackling and handling issues. The stories are testament to the cover of the arts to change lives and while they are celebrating the work of the arts and National Endowment over the past 50 years we also begin to ask ourselves how we can best multiply these transformative art experiences over the next 50 years. How can we better understand and expand of the way that the arts infused our country and how is the infrastructure changing and how can the National Endowment for the arts and other creative entities change with it to better support the ideas and initiatives and the dream of American People . So to explore these questions, we are announcing the launch of a new initiative today called creativity connects via creativity connects will build the relationships between the arts and the general public as well as between the arts and the Different Industries outside of the arts and we have three main objectives with this initiative. One object of this to show how the arts are central to the countrys creativity ecosystems and number two it will investigate how support systems for the arts are changing and that will explore how they connect with other industries that want and use creativity. We are in the midst of planning tables around the country that will draw people in with the backgrounds of the art, science, business engineering, you name it and during these conversations we will discuss where they will find creativity in their personal lives and career and what kind of benefits it brings to the table and identify any gaps that can be strengthened to connect their fields but want creativity so using information and input from experts across Different Industries we will produce a summary report on the state of the arts today into the report will give an overview of changing artistic practices and of the key pieces that arent providers needed to produce the very best work. And through this, we hope that new programs and partnerships will emerge info fortify the states to meet the spaces and skills in the Capital Markets and networks artists need to thrive and this will help to inform the next phase of creativity connects, building a Digital Interactive systems map. This is a map that will help the public visualize what type of projects are happening in the area of creativity in the 21st century and who is supporting it and with existing resources are available to strengthen the arts sector. We will introduce this to the initiatives over the next weeks and months to support innovative projects between the Nonprofits Organization and be Arts Organization that wants the creativity that the arts can provide. We have the opportunity to build the bridges between the field and expand the support base for the arts and demonstrate to other fields working with the arts and culture sector. It ensures that we are not only nurturing the conditions that will allow the creativity to thrive today but for the next 50 years as well. This is a Forward Focus and provide the impetus for two other new initiatives both of which will support the bright mind and emerging talent of tomorrow. We are excited to announce a partnership with playbill and the Disney Theatrical group to pilot his own writing program that will advise High School Students to to composed of unix and compose the leader accident is at the base on and the songwriting challenge will officially launch in 2016 and initially be limited to the cities in the office. We are also encouraging the talent and creativity of our young people by adding a new element to the annual poetry Athletic Competition which is also for High School Students which is called poetry ourselves. In addition to reciting the published poems which are written by other poets. They will submit the work of their own poetry. And it will be from the national finals. They will imagine the parks program. They will support the arts that take place in or were inspired by the National Parks and it will expand the way that we think about the art in relation to the natural world. So those are the plans for the 50th anniversary initiatives but now lets talk up the celebratory events coming down the line. Is it tomorrow september 29 we will host a moderated panel of the chairs including frank, jane alexander, bill ivey and me and the panel will be moderated by cbs news hour killing her and managing editor Judy Woodruff and the festivities continue october 14 when the taping of in performance at the white house will honor the joint 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the arts and for the humanities. This separation concert which will be called a celebration of american creativity will feature performances by a number of american musicians and there will be later broadcast on pbs on january 8, 2016. We will be participating in an Anniversary Event for the National Endowment of the humanities at the library in austin texas to honor the president whose signature brought our agencies into existence and an addition to my travel for the creativity connects roundtable i will continue to visit communities throughout the country meeting with local Community Leaders come Arts Organizations, artists, federal policymakers to see how the arts are making a difference in the places they call home and this will be part of my efforts to continue the conversation about the importance of the arts in our lives and to close the anniversary celebration we will host a National Convening in conjunction to the Kennedy Center in october 2016. Our focus will be on the future of the arts in america and this will bring together artists, thinkers, policymakers as we continue the dialogue dialog of how to strengthen the arts sector for the next 50 years and explore how the arts are a critical component to imagining and developing and securing our future. Throughout the coming year we will also be posting the new multimedia content on the website. In partnership with the wonderful state arts agencies and regional Arts Organization this content