White House Office of the Arts

[gertiecummings]

Posted: 1/8/09 at 11:52pm

"The transition team of President-elect Barack Obama is keeping a firm hand on any appointment news, but the buzz in art-and-politics precincts has the new administration seriously considering the idea of an official White House Office of the Arts, overseeing all things having to do with the arts and arts education. The new arts czar wouldn’t be a cabinet-level position -- too complicated and too limiting, say insiders -- but rather a liaison with the president with real access to funds and power."

http://www.artnet.com/magazineus/news/artnetnews/artnetnews1-6-09.asp

[Manny2]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 12:05am

This sounds like a great idea, but isn't it one of the First Lady's duties to endorse and support the arts?

and she sleeps with the president....I don't see how you could get any more direct funding than that.

I suppose that a coalition consisting of various individuals who know different sectors of the arts, who would know how to spend funds would be better than just one person though.

[Plum]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 12:11am

This sounds like a great idea, but isn't it one of the First Lady's duties to endorse and support the arts?

What? Where did that idea come from? Different First Ladies take on different pet causes - Laura Bush and literacy, for example - but I've never heard of "support for the arts" being one of the First Lady's unofficial duties.

I suppose that a coalition consisting of various individuals who know different sectors of the arts, who would know how to spend funds would be better than just one person though.

The President has approximately 752 different advisors - the idea of having even one person with a direct line to talk to him about arts issues is a pretty big deal. That advisor in turn can obviously be advised by people from all around, but there has to be an info filter somewhere.

[Manny2]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 12:27am

http://www.whitehouse.gov/firstlady/arts.html

Second paragraph.

[Plum]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 1:25am

So Laura Bush is the honorary (I think that's a key word) head of an arts advisory committee. Again, I'm not seeing how that makes arts advice historically the First Lady's role.

[artscallion]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 8:12am

"First Lady" is not an elected position, carries no official duties, and receives no salary.

http://tinyurl.com/9eby2b

[Roscoe]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 9:45am

The way things are going, Obama will probably appoint Anita Bryant as Art Czar.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 1/9/09 at 9:57am

The problem with positions like this is that they usually choose someone who really doesn't know the arts very well or who has a specific agenda.