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The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) is an advisory committee to the President of the United States on cultural issues. It works directly with the White House and the three primary cultural agencies: the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), as well as other federal partners and the private sector, to advance wide-ranging policy objectives in the arts and humanities. These include considerations for how the arts and humanities sectors can positively impact community well-being, economic development, public health, education, civic engagement, and climate change across the United States.
The committee is composed of both private and public members. The private members are appointed by the president and are prominent artists, scholars, philanthropists, and former state and local public officials who demonstrate commitment to the arts and humanities. Its public members include the heads of the National Endowment for the Arts; the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences. Ex officio members are the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution; the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Director of the National Gallery of Art; and the head of the Library of Congress. The President also appoints a chair or co-chairs from among the private members.
In August 2017, all private committee members resigned in protest of then-president Donald Trump's response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. [1] [2] [3] Authority for the committee subsequently lapsed on September 30 under the provisions of Executive Order 13708.
On September 30, 2022 President Joseph Biden reinstituted and expanded the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities by Executive Order 14804. Tsione Wolde-Michael, most recently the founding Director of the Smithsonian’s Center for Restorative History, [4] is the current Executive Director of the PCAH. On April 13, 2023, key appointments to the Committee were announced. [5]
The PCAH was established by Executive Order 12367 of June 15, 1982, under President Ronald Reagan. [6] The PCAH plays a unique role in bringing together the White House, federal agencies, civic organizations, corporations, foundations and individuals to strengthen the United States' national investment in its cultural life. The committee has a strong track record of addressing pressing policy questions in the arts and humanities, initiating public/private partnerships in those disciplines, and to recognizing excellence in the field. PCAH has also conducted major research and policy analysis, and catalyzed important federal cultural programs, both domestic and international. Central to the PCAH mission is using the power of the arts and humanities to contribute to the vibrancy of our society, the education of diverse publics, the creativity of our citizens and the strength of our democracy." [7]
On August 18, 2017, 16 of the 17 committee members, including Kal Penn and Chuck Close, resigned in protest of President Donald Trump's response to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The resigning commissioners stated in a letter to the president, "Reproach and censure in the strongest possible terms are necessary following your support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville." [1] [2] [3] The initial letters of each paragraph of the resignation letter spell 'RESIST'. The only member of the committee who did not immediately sign the letter was theater and film director George C. Wolfe, whose representatives stated that he, too, would be resigning and would add his name to the letter. [8] PCAH became the first White House department to quit the Trump administration. [9]
The White House responded with a statement reading in part, "Earlier this month it was decided that President Trump will not renew the Executive Order for the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH), which expires later this year." [10]
Andrew Weinstein, who had been appointed to the committee by President Obama, [11] went on to serve on the board of the Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Under a new Executive Order [12] issued by President Joseph R. Biden on Sept. 30, 2022, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities was officially reinstituted. The Executive Order outlines that PCAH will continue to provide recommendations to the White House, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to advance wide-ranging policy objectives in the arts and humanities, helping to support advance the economic development, well-being, and resilience of all communities, especially those that have historically been underserved.
The President noted that, "The arts, the humanities, and museum and library services are essential to the well-being, health, vitality, and democracy of our Nation. They are the soul of America, reflecting our multicultural and democratic experience. They further help us strive to be the more perfect Union to which generation after generation of Americans have aspired. They inspire us; provide livelihoods; sustain, anchor, and bring cohesion within diverse communities across our Nation; stimulate creativity and innovation; help us understand and communicate our values as a people; compel us to wrestle with our history and enable us to imagine our future; invigorate and strengthen our democracy; and point the way toward progress." [12]
On November 21, 2022, President Joe Biden officially appointed Tsione Wolde-Michael as the new executive director of the PCAH. [13]
The PCAH, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the nonprofit Alliance for Young Artists & Writers partnered to present the National Student Poets Program (NSPP), [14] the nation's highest honor for young poets (grades 9–11) creating original work. Five students are annually selected for one year of service as literary ambassadors, each representing a geographic region of the country. By elevating and showcasing their work for a national audience, the program strives to inspire other young people to achieve excellence in their own creative endeavors and promote the essential role of writing and the arts in academic and personal success.
Turnaround Arts [15] is a national program that brings arts education to high-poverty elementary and middle schools across the country. It was the first federal program to specifically support arts education as an improvement tool in the country's lowest-performing schools, and was run by the PCAH, in coordination with the White House, the U.S. Department of Education (USDOE), and several foundations.
The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards recognized the country's best creative youth development programs for increasing academic achievement, graduation rates and college enrollment by engaging children and youth in the arts and humanities. [16] Formerly titled Coming Up Taller, these annual awards focused national attention on outstanding programs across the country that promoted the creativity of America's young people, providing them learning opportunities and the chance to contribute to their communities. Accompanied by a cash award and a ceremony at the White House with the First Lady, the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Awards not only rewarded these projects with recognition but also provided organizational and capacity building support over the course of the year.
Sundance Film Forward was an international touring program designed to enhance greater cultural understanding, collaboration and dialogue around the globe by engaging audiences through the exhibition of films, workshops and conversations with filmmakers. Sundance Film Forward is an initiative of the Sundance Institute, which partnered with the PCAH and other federal arts programs.
Established by Executive Order in 1998, Save America's Treasures (SAT) [17] is a federal public-private partnership that includes the NEA, NEH, IMLS, the National Park Service (NPS), the American Architectural Foundation (AAF) and formerly the PCAH. The PCAH and the National Park Service jointly oversaw the management of the federal competitive matching grant component, which helps preserve, conserve, and rescue our nation's most significant cultural and heritage resources, including historic structures, collections of artifacts, works of art, maps, manuscripts, and sound recordings. Although funding for the program was suspended, the PCAH and AAF convened a series of thought leadership forums to develop elements for framing and catalyzing a preservation strategy that built on the strengths and success of SAT.
Through its work with the private sector, the PCAH was able to raise private resources, which were directed to special initiatives that supported youth programs, recognized artists, broadened arts awareness, and celebrated the nation's cultural life. Examples include:
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government by an act of the U.S. Congress, signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 29, 1965. It is a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, along with the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is housed at 400 7th St SW, Washington, D.C. From 1979 to 2014, NEH was at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. in the Nancy Hanks Center at the Old Post Office.
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government. Nominations are submitted to the National Council on the Arts, the advisory committee of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), who then submits its recommendations to the White House for the President of the United States to award. The medal was designed for the NEA by sculptor Robert Graham.
Francis Samuel Monaise "Frank" Hodsoll was an American historian. He was the fourth chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. He was appointed by President Ronald Reagan and served from 1981 to 1989.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is a department of the United States government, part of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), established by United States Congress on May 11, 1976, with a broad mandate to advise the President on the effects of science and technology on domestic and international affairs.
Counselor to the President is a title used by high-ranking political advisors to the president of the United States and senior members of the White House Office.
The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is an independent agency of the United States federal government established in 1996. It is the main source of federal support for libraries and museums within the United States, having the mission to "create strong libraries and museums that connect people with information and ideas." In fiscal year 2015, IMLS had a budget of $228 million. It is a sub-agency of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities, along with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) is an independent agency of the federal government of the United States, and was established in 1910. The CFA has review authority over the "design and aesthetics" of all construction within Washington, D.C. In accordance with the Old Georgetown Act, the CFA appoints the Old Georgetown Board. The Old Georgetown Board has design review authority over all semipublic and private structures within the boundaries of the Georgetown Historic District. The CFA was granted approval authority by the Shipstead-Luce Act over the design and height of public and private buildings which front or abut the grounds of the United States Capitol, the grounds of the White House, Pennsylvania Avenue NW extending from the Capitol to the White House, Lafayette Square, Rock Creek Park, the National Zoological Park, the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Potomac Park, and the National Mall and its constituent parks.
The White House Historical Association, founded in 1961 through efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, is a private, non-profit organization that works to preserve the history of the White House and make that history more accessible to the public. As of March 2022, the president of the association is Stewart McLaurin.
Preserve America is a United States government program, established under President George W. Bush, intended to encourage and support community efforts to preserve and enjoy the country's cultural and natural heritage.
Megan Carroll Beyer is an American journalist, activist, and lifelong advocate of women’s rights and gender issues. Beyer is the Director of the Office of Art in Embassies at the U.S. Department of State, appointed by President Joe Biden in 2022. She has served as an advisor to many arts and civic organizations, including Civic Nation, the American Film Institute, and the Better Angels Society.
Rachel Eva Goslins is an American arts administrator and documentary film director and producer. In August 2016, she was appointed director of the Smithsonian's Arts and Industries Building. She was previously head of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
The Chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is the executive leader of the National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency created in 1965. The Chair directs the NEH and is the sole position in the agency with the legal authority to make grants and awards. The NEH Chair is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The appointment and term of the Chair are statutorily defined in
, and the Chair's authority is defined throughout . The National Council on the Humanities, a board of 26 private citizens who are also appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, advises the Chair.Stephen Brent Slick is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operations officer and United States National Security Council official. He is the inaugural director of the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas at Austin, where he is also a Clinical Professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs and the Bobby R. Inman Chair in Intelligence Studies.
Michael L. Pack is an American documentary filmmaker who was CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) from June 2020 to January 2021. Pack was nominated by President Donald Trump and took office at USAGM in June 2020 after Senate confirmation. He resigned on January 20, 2021 at the request of President Joe Biden, effective at 2:00 p.m., two hours after Biden took office.
The Unite the Right rally was a white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11–12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and far-right militias. Some groups chanted racist and antisemitic slogans and carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, Confederate battle flags, Deus vult crosses, flags, and other symbols of various past and present antisemitic and anti-Islamic groups. The organizers' stated goals included the unification of the American white nationalist movement and opposing the proposed removal of the statue of General Robert E. Lee from Charlottesville's former Lee Park. The rally sparked a national debate over Confederate iconography, racial violence, and white supremacy.
Emily Webster Murphy is an American attorney and former government official who served as the administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) from 2017 to 2021. Before serving in the GSA, Murphy was an attorney for the Republican National Committee and worked for several congressional committees and executive departments in the field of acquisition policy.
Jon Parrish Peede is an American book editor and literary review publisher, who served as the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities from 2018 to 2021.
Alyssa Farah Griffin is an American political strategist and television personality. She was the White House Director of Strategic Communications and Assistant to the President in 2020 during the presidency of Donald Trump. Griffin appears on CNN as a political commentator and is also a co-host of the daytime talk show The View for its 26th season.
Shelly C. Lowe is an American academic administrator serving as the chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities.