National Endowment for the Arts Statement on the Death of Former NEA Chairman Bill Ivey
Bill Ivey. Photo by Marion Ettinger
It is with great sadness that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) acknowledges the passing of former NEA Chairman Bill Ivey. As the NEA’s seventh chairman, Ivey served from 1998 to 2001 under President William Clinton. With a master’s degree in folklore and ethnomusicology from Indiana University, Ivey began working as library director of the Country Music Foundation (CMF) in 1971 and within the year was promoted to director of the entire organization. He would lead the CMF until his nomination to chair of the NEA in 1997.
“Bill Ivey was a leader who made sure the arts reached everyone, not just a few,” said NEA Senior Advisor Mary Anne Carter. “As chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, he worked to open doors—bringing creative opportunities to young people and expanding access across the country—while preserving our cultural heritage as the nation entered a new millennium. As we approach another milestone in America’s semiquincentennial, his vision and leadership reminds us that the arts belong to all Americans, and our lives are richer because of it.”
Ivey was a champion of country, folk, and popular music, but during his tenure as chair, the agency supported a wide range of projects, highlighting a vast array of artforms and cultures nationwide. He also oversaw the development of the agency’s five-year strategic plan, which led to the creation of the Challenge America program. Challenge America provides support primarily to small organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups and communities.
As the nation approached the year 2000, he initiated the National Millennium Projects, including the Favorite Poem Project and Continental Harmony. In February 2000, ahead of the agency’s 35th-anniversary, Ivey convened America's Creative Legacy: An NEA Forum at Harvard, which brought together past NEA chairs to discuss changes in America's cultural policy.
In his statement accompanying the agency’s 1999-2004 strategic plan, Ivey said, “Besides anchoring communities, growing the economy, and increasing jobs, the arts give communities a sense of identity, shared pride, sound design that affects how we live, and a way to communicate across boundaries.”
The National Endowment for the Arts is immensely grateful to Bill Ivey for the lifelong contributions he has made to both the national and global arts communities.
About the National Endowment for the Arts
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that is the largest funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide and a catalyst of public and private support for the arts. By advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, the NEA fosters and sustains an environment in which the arts benefit everyone in the United States.
