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):

Today, the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee, approved a budget for the National Endowment for the Arts of $160 million. This is a proposed increase of $35 million over funding in FY 2007. This represents the largest increase in many years.

The American Arts Alliance has posted a summary and a way to say "Thank-you" the committee members.

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