Tomorrow, the National Council on the Arts will meet in DC. For those who don’t know, the National Council on the Arts is the official advisory body for the NEA – a little bit like the equivalent of the NEA’s Board, if it were a nonprofit. According to the NEA website, the Council advises on matters including:
- Applications for Federal grant funds recommended by advisory panels;
- Guidelines outlining funding categories, objectives, and eligibility;
- Leadership initiatives and partnership agreements with other agencies;
- Agency budget levels, allocations, and funding priorities;
- Policy directions involving Congressional legislation and other issues of importance to the arts nationally.
Kind of important, yes? This is your national arts agency that these people are advising!
In the past, the Council meetings have been open to the public, but you had to trek down to the Old Post Office building in Washington, DC, where the NEA is located, to check them out. No more. This year, the entire meeting will be webcast via the Art Works blog – just go to the Art Works main page and follow the instructions. The meeting takes place from 9-10:45am Eastern time and will feature the introduction of Irvin Mayfield into the Council as well as a presentation from the NEA’s Research division and highlights from the Art Works tour. According to the blog post, the NEA folks are inviting real-time reaction via comments. If you have something to say, I am sure they would love to hear from you!