Frogs croak,
Gasping, gasping,
Blood comes out of their mouths.
Art and Corporate Responsibility
Throughout history, the arts have required support from the wealthy elite. In the past they were supported by the church and/or the ruling monarch. In this country the arts have been funded primarily by private foundations, state and local governments, admissions and sales, corporations, and individual donations. The National Endowment for the Arts gave significant amounts of support to artists and arts organizations during the sixties and seventies, but its budget was cut in half during Reagan's first year in office. During Carter's administration the NEA budget was one-tenth of the budget for military bands!1 Today, government support of the arts is rapidly becoming nonexistent while politicians' fundamentalism worms its way into the once free-spirit of the government supported art.
1 Caldicott, Helen; Missile Envy; 1986.