Arts Advocates Head to Capitol Hill to Ask Congress for Bigger NEA Budget

Last year, Linda Ronstadt, Wynton Marsalis and Josh Groban were the celebrity artillery in the push coordinated by Americans for the Arts, a leading arts lobbying and support group. The bottom-line results weren't negligible. Advocates proposed a $200-million annual budget for the National Endowment for the Arts, and Congress did ultimately up President Obama's $161.3-million ante for the arts, passing a $167.5-million NEA appropriation. That 8.1% hike (compared with Obama's proposed increase of about 4%) came amid a dismal economy and on top of a one-time $50-million boost for the NEA to make job-creating grants, part of last year's economic stimulus bill.