National Endowment for the Arts Marks 60th Anniversary

Today, the National Endowment for the Arts turns 60! For six decades, the Arts Endowment has championed the arts in every corner of the country, ensuring that all Americans can experience the transformative power of creative expression. From helping launch organizations with global impact like the Sundance Institute to funding projects at local theaters and community arts centers, the agency ensures that creative industries thrive. Its support has helped bring countless works to life—from public murals and local festivals to iconic productions like Hamilton—and played a vital role in shaping our public spaces, supporting the creation of enduring works like Maya Lin’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Our nation’s Jazz Masters, honored each year by the NEA, have won hundreds of Grammy Awards. 

“Art is a nation's most precious heritage... it reveals the inner vision which guides us as a nation.” -President Lyndon B. Johnson

As we look ahead to America’s 250th birthday, it’s clear the arts have always played a starring role in telling our nation’s story. President Lyndon B. Johnson said it best 60 years ago today at the signing of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act: “Art is a nation's most precious heritage... it reveals the inner vision which guides us as a nation.” Decades later, President Donald Trump reminded us that, “Critical thinking skills, the ability to read, write, and do basic math are still the keys to economic success. A holistic education that includes literature and the arts is just as critical to creating good citizens,” and “supporting and advocating for appreciation of the arts is important to an informed and aware society.”

Here’s to 60 years of vision, creativity, and making space for the arts in every community – and to supporting the arts as a cornerstone of our nation’s cultural life for generations to come.