Five New Members of National Council on the Arts Welcomed by National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Dana Gioia

Council Members Sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor

April 10, 2003

		Contact: Katherine Wood 202-682-5570

Washington, D.C. -- Five new members of the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), today began their six-year terms. The new Council members were welcomed by NEA Chairman Dana Gioia in swearing-in ceremonies that were presided over by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. The five were nominated for the Council by President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. They are: Mary Costa, an opera singer from Knoxville, Tenn.; Makoto Fujimura, a visual artist from New York, N.Y.; David H. Gelernter, an author, critic and educator from Woodbridge, Conn.; Jerry Pinkney, an artist and illustrator from Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.; and Dr. Karen Lias Wolff, a music educator from Ann Arbor, Mich.

L to R: Jerry Pinkney, David H. Gelernter, Mary Costa, NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, Karen Lias Wolff, and Makoto Fujimura.

The National Council on the Arts advises the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts on agency policies and programs. It reviews funding guidelines and applications for grants, and recommends recipients of the National Medal of Arts, a Presidential award that recognizes exemplary contributions to the arts in America.

Council members are chosen for their widely recognized knowledge of the arts, their expertise or profound interest in the arts, and their record of distinguished service or achievement in the arts. They represent all geographic regions of the country. The Council convenes in Washington, D.C. three times per year for meetings that are open to the public.

The National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act of 1965 established the National Endowment for the Arts and provided for 26 citizens to serve as advisors to the agency as members of the National Council on the Arts. In 1997, Congress enacted legislation that changed the number of Presidentially-appointed Council members to 14 and added six Congressional members to serve for two-year terms in an ex officio, non-voting capacity.

Photo editors: High resolution photos are available online.

Members of the National Council on the Arts

Donald V. Cogman, Patron/Trustee, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mary Costa, Opera Singer, Knoxville, Tenn.
Gordon Davidson, Theater Center Director/Producer, Los Angeles, Calif.
Katharine Cramer DeWitt, Patron/Trustee, Cincinnati, Ohio
Makoto Fujimura, Visual Artist, New York, N.Y.
David H. Gelernter, Author/Critic/Educator, Woodbridge, Conn.
Nathan Leventhal, Attorney/Consultant, Woodbury, Conn.
Teresa Lozano Long, Patron/Trustee, Austin, Tex.
Maribeth Walton McGinley, Art Director/Designer, Glendale, Calif.
Jerry Pinkney, Artist/Illustrator, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.
Earl A. Powell, III, Museum Director, Washington, D.C.
Cleo Parker Robinson, Dance Company Director/Choreographer, Denver, Colo.
Deedie Potter Rose, Patron/Trustee, Dallas, Tex.
Dr. Karen Lias Wolff, Music Educator, Ann Arbor, Mich.

Ex-Officio Members, United States Congress
House of Representatives
Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-NC
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-MN
Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-CA

Senate
Three vacancies

For more information on the National Council on the Arts, including biographies of its members, please visit http://www.arts.gov/about/NCA/About_NCA.html

For more information, contact the NEA Office of Communications at 202-682-5570.

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