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Skriven 2005-11-10 23:32:46 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (051110h) for Thu, 2005 Nov 10
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President Celebrates 40th Anniversary of National Endowments for the Arts
and Humanities
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 10, 2005

President Celebrates 40th Anniversary of National Endowments for the Arts
and Humanities
The State Floor



7:44 P.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good evening, and welcome. Laura and I are really happy
you're here. We meet tonight to celebrate the 40th anniversary of both the
National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Endowment for the
Humanities.

We especially welcome NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, and NEH Chairman Bruce Cole.
And we'd like to recognize their outstanding contributions to our nation's
arts and humanities. Dana and Bruce are both distinguished scholars and
authors, and under their visionary leadership, America's programs to
support the arts and humanities have continued to enrich our nation's
cultural and civic life.

I also want to recognize a former head of the NEH, Lynne Cheney, and her
husband. (Laughter and applause.) It's also my honor to welcome Linda Robb,
whose dad had the wisdom to start both these programs. Welcome. (Applause.)

Over the last 40 years, the National Endowment for the Arts and the
National Endowment for the Humanities have strengthened our democracy by
supporting our nation's ideals, institutions, and emerging talents. The NEA
has provided support for music and dance, theater and the arts across our
great country. It has helped improve public access to education in the
arts, offered workshops in writing, and brought artistic masterpieces to
under-served communities.

At the same time, the NEH has done important work to preserve America's
cultural treasures. And it has helped introduce millions of Americans to
award-winning books, documentaries, and museum exhibitions.

These two institutions also help support the arts and humanities by
encouraging great talent. This morning I awarded the National Medal of
Arts, and the National Humanities Medal to men and women who have made
exemplary contributions to our nation's art, culture and scholarship. Each
medal winner has helped define our era. Each has excelled and demonstrated
originality, endurance and self-discipline. And together, their creativity
inspires our students and elevates our culture, and enriches our nation.

Congratulations to you all. (Applause.)

President Franklin Roosevelt once said that free nations gain new
responsibilities when other countries try to turn back the clock of
civilization by burning libraries and exiling their artists and thinkers.
Free nations, he said, have an obligation to keep the torch of free thought
and free learning burning bright.

America is a country where the light of freedom does burn bright. And by
supporting our artists and scholars, we help inspire those who do not yet
enjoy freedom. We defend creativity and expression because we value a free
and open society. And our actions set an example for the entire world. And
so, tonight, I offer a toast to the brightest lights of American
creativity: men and women who entertain us, inform us, and inspire us.

(A toast is offered.) (Applause.)

END 6:53 P.M. EST

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