Did you ever bring home a bad grade on a report card as a kid? What about an F in the arts? Hard to imagine. Well, our U.S. Senators brought home their grades, and although they weren't graded on their paintings or musical scales, many managed to fail the arts. And some failed while the other Senator in their state received an A or B!
The Arts Action Fund graded the members of the U.S. Senate on their support for the arts just like on those report cards that you used to bring home - except we used criteria like casting votes in support of the arts, joining the Senate Arts Caucus, and more. Senators had three opportunities to vote on the arts during the past two years – from ensuring jobs and infrastructure projects in the arts could receive economic stimulus funds to supporting public art around our nation’s highways to ensuring museums received federal funds. All U.S. Senators had the chance to stand up for the arts.
We're featuring 12 of the 28 senators that failed the arts as the Dirty Dozen online now. Take a moment to see why each of these senators received an F.
Also, we have a new release called "Same State, Different Story" about how senators from the same state are remarkably different when it comes to their support for the arts. And soon we'll have a final installment about the champions in the Senate who supported the arts in this Congress.
Use the Tweet buttons at the bottom of each page to let your senators know how you feel about their arts grades or use Facebook to share with friends and help spread the word.
Comments
Do you remember the cartoon editorial that showed John Engler's face on a pig on a velvet painting and the caption read "Engler's view of the Arts"?
On other hand, I know people who had visits to their studios to purchase artwork, in Arkansas, from Bill Clinton, and, Al Gore, in Tennessee, before they were in the White House.
Did anyone else participate in the artists creating ornaments to decorate the White House trees? They had enough ornaments from artists for 7 or 8 trees.