Despite two wars, a looming recession, a shrinking job market, and a tanking stock exchange, the arts may have one of the best years in decades.

In 1992, the National Endowment for the Arts appropriation was almost $176 million--the largest ever. Little did the agency know, that a piece created by Serrano in 1988 was poised to cause the agency the most precipitous decline ever.

Between 1989 and 1990, the Corcoran Gallery displayed Mapplethorpe and Serrano works that created a bit of a firestorm. The NEA continued to enjoy fairly robust funding until 1994 when the Republican party took over. Congress very nearly eliminated funding all-together. The agency's budget was cut by 40% dropping its funding levels to $99.5 million. This may seem like a lot of money, but in a country as large as the United States, it is a tiny drop.

To illustrate, in 2003/2004 The following countries funded, per capita, at the following rates (in Canadian Dollars):

• Arts Council England--$24.36
• Scottish Arts Council--$22.37
• Creative Wales--$19.46
• The Arts Council (Ireland)--$17.91
• Australia Council--$6.91
• Creative New Zealand--$7.01
• Canada Council for the Arts--$4.73
• National Endowment for the Arts--$0.51

(source Canada Council for the Arts)

This is an absolute travesty for a country as rich as the United States. It is no wonder that the US is often seen as a cultural blackhole.

The good news is that the 2008 appropriation is the largest in 28 years. The omnibus appropriations bill included $144.7 million for the NEA, an increase of over $20 million from 2007.

Lets hope the money is used wisely and helps protect and nurture cultural activities in the current year.

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