National Council On The Arts Convenes for 156th Meeting

		Contact: Sally Gifford 682-5606 giffords@arts.gov

November 1, 2005

Washington, D.C.— The National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will meet in a public session on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 9 a.m. in Room M-09 of The Nancy Hanks Center, 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC.

The public session will feature a presentation on the first-of-its-kind study "Creativity & Aging: The Impact of Professionally Conducted Cultural Programs on Older Adults." The NEA initiated and is the lead sponsor of the longitudinal study, now in its fourth year. Paula Terry, who directs the NEA's AccessAbility Office, will present, along with the study's primary investigator, Dr. Gene Cohen of the Center on Aging, Health and the Humanities at George Washington University. Jeanne Kelly of the Levine School of Music, one of the participating sites in the study, will also discuss the study's findings.

In addition, Senior Deputy Chairman Eileen Mason will share recent activities celebrating the Endowment's 40th Anniversary. Douglas Sonntag, NEA Director of Dance, will present an in-depth look at the NEA's 40-year history of support to dance in America. Another presentation will explore the Endowment's support for the folk and traditional arts field, as well as a performance by NEA National Heritage Fellow and folk guitarist Wayne Henderson.

The remainder of the schedule is as follows:

Members of the National Council on the Arts
James Ballinger, Museum Director, Phoenix, AZ
Don V. Cogman, Patron/Trustee, Scottsdale, AZ
Mary Costa, Opera Singer, Knoxville, TN
Katharine Cramer DeWitt, Patron/Trustee, Cincinnati, OH
Makoto Fujimura, Visual Artist, New York, NY
David H. Gelernter, Author/Critic/Educator, Woodbridge, CT
Teresa Lozano Long, Patron/Trustee, Austin, TX
Maribeth Walton McGinley, Art Director/Designer, Glendale, CA
Jerry Pinkney, Artist/Illustrator, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Deedie Potter Rose, Patron/Trustee, Dallas, TX
Gerard Schwarz, Symphony Conductor, Seattle, WA
Terry Teachout, Author/Critic, New York, NY
Dr. Karen Lias Wolff, Music Educator, Ann Arbor, MI

Ex-Officio Members, U.S. Congress

House of Representatives
Rep. Betty McCollum, (D-MN)
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, (R-CA)
Rep. Patrick J. Tiberi (R-OH)

Senate
Sen. Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Sen. Mike DeWine (R-OH)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)

The National Council on the Arts advises the Chairman of the NEA, who also chairs the Council, on agency policies and programs. It reviews and makes recommendations to the Chairman on applications for grants, funding guidelines, and leadership initiatives. For more information about the National Council on the Arts and its members, visit www.arts.gov/about/NCA/About_NCA.html

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts – both new and established – bringing the arts to all Americans, and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

Return to News Index

National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency
1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20506