Decision-Makers in Government Programs of Arts Patronage

ATRONAGE of the arts is a function of government which has existed for centuries in most countries of Europe and yet, strangely enough, little attention has been given it by political scientists in Britain and the United States. The major thrust of scholarly investigation has been in other areas political theory and the modern state, the dynamics of politics, the functioning of governmental systems, public administration and organization, international relations, to mention but a few. The result is that today no body of literature exists which systematically sets forth and analyzes the theoretical aspects of government support of the arts, depicts the range and diversity of organizational patterns employed, describes administrative procedures and methods, and assesses the results of different programs designed to bring about cultural enrichment. More specifically, no research has been conducted to discover who in government programs of arts support are the modern patrons, the men and women who decide what artistic enterprises are to be assisted and under what conditions. Lack of interest in the study of public arts patronage undoubtedly is due largely to the widespread hostility which long existed toward any close connection between government and the arts. In the United States it was not until September 19, 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities bill, that a program of federal arts patronage was instituted.' The National Foundation consists of two constituent organizations, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humani

Art · Government (linguistics) · Political science · Sociology · The arts · Visual arts · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Philosophy · Public Administration