“National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Jane Chu said in a statement that she will resign June 4, after four years at the head of the federal arts agency,” writes Peggy McGlone in Sunday’s (4/29) Washington Post. “ ‘The National Endowment for the Arts is doing effective and meaningful work to help the arts thrive and connect to individuals and in communities large and small, densely populated, rural, and remote in all 50 states, U.S. territories, and in every Congressional District,’ Chu said. Since becoming the 11th head of the NEA in 2014, Chu has visited arts organizations in all 50 states…. A musician with degrees in piano, business and philanthropy, Chu was chief executive of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts in Kansas City, Mo. … Although targeted by Trump for elimination, the NEA enjoys bipartisan support from Congress, which passed a spending bill—that Trump signed last month—increasing its annual funding to $152 million. Chu has been tireless in showcasing the broad influence of the arts. ‘In my travels … I have talked with visual artists, musicians, dancers, actors, and writers who are powerfully creating America’s culture…. I am personally inspired and impressed by them.’ ”
Posted May 1, 2018
Jane Chu photo by Steve Peterson
