American arts policy and the National Endowment for the Arts in the 1990s

Since the National Endowment for the Arts was established in 1965, it has been at the center of the arts policy in the United States by providing federal funds to the arts field. The purpose of this study was to examine the grant-making programs during the 1990s in order to understand the impact of the reorganization of 1996 in the NEA on arts policy in the United States. The arts policy paradigm in the 1990s changed from a focus on arts fields to an emphasis on presentation of the arts for all Americans. Congress began to impose several restrictions to the NEA grant program, and finally, reduced dramatically the NEA's budget in 1995. The NEA also shifted its primary constituency and initiated its restructuring in conformity with the changed environment. The analysis of the NEA grants suggests some signs of the NEA's new direction: an increased populism in grant distribution, an emphasis on access to the arts for all Americans, and focus on arts education. By adapting this paradigm, the NEA acquired political stability and continues to have a role in arts funding.