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The Spectacle Blog
Yes, we can! With tax dollars!
* * * * *
Patrick Courrielche reveals at Big Hollywood that he participated in a teleconference call in which the National Endowment for the Arts —the largest funder of the arts in the U.S.— encouraged artists to create pro-Obama art:
I was invited by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to take part in a conference call that invited a group of rising artist and art community luminaries “to help lay a new foundation for growth, focusing on core areas of the recovery agenda - health care, energy and environment, safety and security, education, community renewal.”
Now admittedly, I’m a skeptic of BIG government. In my view, power tends to overreach whenever given the opportunity. It’s a law of human nature that has very few exceptions. That said, it felt to me that by providing issues as a cynosure for inspiration to a handpicked arts group - a group that played a key role in the President’s election as mentioned throughout the conference call - the National Endowment for the Arts was steering the art community toward creating art on the very issues that are currently under contentious national debate; those being health care reform and cap-and-trade legislation. Could the National Endowment for the Arts be looking to the art community to create an environment amenable to the administration’s positions? […]
Courrielche writes that
Backed by the full weight of President Barack Obama’s call to service and the institutional weight of the NEA, the conference call was billed as an opportunity for those in the art community to inspire service in four key categories, and at the top of the list were “health care” and “energy and environment.” The service was to be attached to the President’s United We Serve campaign, a nationwide federal initiative to make service a way of life for all Americans.
It sounded, how should I phrase it…unusual, that the NEA would invite the art community to a meeting to discuss issues currently under vehement national debate. I decided to call in, and what I heard concerned me.
The people running the conference call and rallying the group to get active on these issues were Yosi Sergant, the Director of Communications for the National Endowment for the Arts; Buffy Wicks, Deputy Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement; Nell Abernathy, Director of Outreach for United We Serve; Thomas Bates, Vice President of Civic Engagement for Rock the Vote; and Michael Skolnik, Political Director for Russell Simmons.
We were encouraged to bring the same sense of enthusiasm to these “focus areas” as we had brought to Obama’s presidential campaign, and we were encouraged to create art and art initiatives that brought awareness to these issues. Throughout the conversation, we were reminded of our ability as artists and art professionals to “shape the lives” of those around us. The now famous Obama “Hope” poster, created by artist Shepard Fairey and promoted by many of those on the phone call, and will.i.am’s “Yes We Can” song and music video were presented as shining examples of our group’s clear role in the election. […]
This is scary stuff. To paraphrase Courrielche from his appearance on the “Glenn Beck Program” today, whenever governments and artists collaborate on art, the results are never good.
Here is some Soviet taxpayer-funded art:
Here is some German taxpayer-funded art:
Courrielche discussed the issue a few days ago on Fox Business:
View all comments (39) | Leave a comment
More Blog Posts by Matthew Vadum
http://spectator.org/blog/2009/09/01/national-endowment-for-the-art
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Felix Feneon| 9.1.09 @ 7:36PM
What makes this worse is the commie and nazi art is light years better than anything the NEA will produce!
Rob| 9.1.09 @ 7:40PM
Let's see some photos of the Obamasiah on a cross....
NOBAMA!
ruthelator| 9.1.09 @ 8:24PM
It would be fun to sneak in some anti-Obama or anti-communism art!
fatlip| 9.1.09 @ 8:39PM
Ok, it's time to do American art, yes, anti-Obama art. I call on all my fellow artists to stand tall and come forth with art to counter this stronghold the government is trying to take. Lets litter the internet and with anti-Obama art. I bet we can make a bigger difference than they can! Do one piece of art a day and slap in on facebook, myspace, twitter. If not one a day how about one a week? Rise up and keep our country free!!!!!!
Benny rinay| 9.1.09 @ 8:57PM
POST THIS on FACEBOOK:
Do not be a fool and work for the Agenda Art Movement, Do Not let the Government tell YOU what to CREATE, do not nationally endow art for blood money
AnnMarie| 9.1.09 @ 9:12PM
Better watch what you put on your Facebook, MySpace and Twitter accounts: Obama & Co. are watching you.
Becky| 9.1.09 @ 9:45PM
Anyone who needs the government to tell them what type of art to create, or what to say through art, is a conformist, the opposite of what most artists consider themselves, or at least should.
I would say any artists who needs the government for an idea generator better get another line of work.
Liberal Reader| 9.1.09 @ 9:49PM
Here you go too far, Vadum.
The Obama Cult -- bless His name -- is already in existence and has been for all time, heretic.
Cheryl Miller| 9.1.09 @ 9:51PM
Thank you Glenn Beck for caring about this country enough to find all of this corruption that is before us. To me the writing was on the wall last year....but Obama has enough guts to think he can get away with this Cr**. WAKE UP AMERICA!
Cheryl Miller| 9.1.09 @ 9:52PM
Bring it Obama and Cronies!
Yes Wee Can | 9.1.09 @ 9:59PM
http://s810.photobucket.com/albums/zz24/NoMoBama/
The NEA has paid me to do some Obama art. I'm proud of my work considering I'm not really an artist. Boy did I fool them. You can see my original works if you click my name or use the link.
Pingback| 9.1.09 @ 10:22PM
national endowment for the arts links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 9.1.09 @ 10:22PM
yosi sergant links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
california| 9.1.09 @ 10:36PM
To "Yes wee can"......LOVE your art! These are great!
Cheryl| 9.1.09 @ 11:15PM
You want Statist money, you play the Statist game. The NEA has been in this business for as long as I can remember...taking tax dollars to promote anything but liberty, anything but the United States of America, and anything but real art. This is no big surprise. Sadly a lot of so-called artists want that Statist money and will play the game like good little indoctrinated idiots. So much for creativity.
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 3:56AM
yosi sergant links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 3:57AM
patrick courrielche links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 5:16AM
yosi sergant – æµ·è¿å¥³ links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
KV Abbott | 9.2.09 @ 7:31AM
The art community is no more monolithic than any other group. I am offended that our taxpayer dollars are being used so blatantly as a tool of the far left. As an artist and gallery owner of close to 30 years I know many artists of all political persuasions. While many may be liberal and support President Obama's agenda, many do not. Most artists I know are more libertarian and oppose big government. It seems to me only an artist lacking his or her own voice would want the government shaping their creative vision. Perhaps it's time to abolish the NEA!
YOUR GOVERNMENT IS WATCHING YOU. ARE YOU WATCHING YOUR GOVERNMENT?
louis tully| 9.2.09 @ 9:00AM
The NEA is a little slow to the Obama Cult, isn't it? 30's style Obama as Il Duce "art" is already so passe'
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 9:17AM
A Challenge to All Here no Matter Your Political Leaning - Politics and Other Controv links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
P. Hussein Picasso | 9.2.09 @ 9:35AM
The NEA should have been abolished LONG ago. Let the Soy Latte Liberal crowd raise their own money for their pet causes. Believe me, throwing black-tie fundraisers is one of their favorite pasttimes.
Tim| 9.2.09 @ 9:59AM
Cult, or just your run of the mill ass-kissing?
Solo| 9.2.09 @ 10:07AM
Rob Wrote:
"Let's see some photos of the Obamasiah on a cross.... "
Yes....Obama on a cross and immersed in urine.
Where's Maplethorpe when you need him?
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 10:11AM
A Challenge to All Here no Matter Your Political Leaning - Politics and Other Controv links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
BD57| 9.2.09 @ 10:12AM
Consider the premise of the NEA:
The Arts are more important than the value placed on them by the people (measured by their willingness to support them financially); but the people are rubes and don't know what's good for them; THEREFORE we will use their tax dollars to support the Arts.
The effect?
#1 - what you subsidize, you get more of - there are more artists than demand would create on its own;
#2 - the premise breeds contempt. The message of the "ARTS" PSA's you hear is pretty clear: "Hey, Stupid! Yeah, you - if the Arts disappeared because you're not bright enough to support them, you'll be sorry!!!" There's no shortage of egos in the Arts community believing they aren't "properly appreciated" .... do you ever wonder whether it might influence their work? No claim it is the only cause, or even a major cause, just I think it has some influence.
#3 - Art becomes a racket. The NEA gets to play with taxpayer money, blessing those it likes, brushing those it dislikes aside. Interests in the Arts, of course, hire people to lobby the NEA to put them on the "Like" list.
I wonder what Art in America would be like if artists had to, you know, find an audience to survive ....
KV Abbott | 9.2.09 @ 10:28AM
Obamasiah on a cross immersed in urine! I like it!
The funny thing is, despite the pervasive notion that the NEA is the great savior of the arts in this the country, that is in fact not at all the case.
It's actually the capitalists, the entrepreurs who work hard, achieve success and build wealth that provide most of the support for the arts.
How many people on the government dole can afford theater tickets, attend the opera or buy expensive paintings?
The capitalists are the clients that have kept my gallery open for 25 years. The NEA hands out grants mostly to fringe wannabe's who can't produce work that anyone wants.
In the case of Maplethorpe, I don't think there was any real interest in his work until he received the NEA grant for his body of work that included the "Piss Christ".
L. Ross| 9.2.09 @ 11:48AM
BD-57. Great stuff. There is plenty of money for art that people enjoy. Go to any resort town, you will find art galleries that sell expensive, beautiful art. Unfortunately, when you go to a publicly funded gallery, you will be hard pressed to find anything you would want to own. The "fine art" that is publicly funded by and large could never be funded privately. Nobody would pay for that crap.
Dave Lincoln| 9.2.09 @ 11:59AM
Hey, put me down for some of that art.
Oldefarte| 9.2.09 @ 12:03PM
Some ART depicting Obama kissing Wright's or Jackson's BACKSIDE might be interesting!!!!
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 10:17PM
Your tax dollars funding propoganda for Obama's policies? - Expedite Trucking Forums links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
David| 9.2.09 @ 10:28PM
As an artist. I am ashamed of my chosen occupation. I argued all throughout art school that the people there who thought they were so worldly, so clever, so intellectual, so tolerant, and so free-minded were actually just the opposite. But rather than being disheartened by there unified dismissal of my claims, I was encouraged. How ironic to be the counter to the "counterculture" of obsessed liberalism.
David| 9.2.09 @ 10:29PM
their (not there)
sorry
Pingback| 9.2.09 @ 10:39PM
Your tax dollars funding propoganda for Obama's policies? - Expedite Trucking Forums links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 9.3.09 @ 2:10AM
yosi sergant links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 9.3.09 @ 3:11PM
Another Day At School | American Princess links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 9.4.09 @ 11:03AM
While we're at it, let's get rid of Obama's other propaganda arm, the NEA links to this page. Here’s an excerpt: