The President's Committee Honors the NEA and NEH on their 40th Anniversary

The President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) proudly supports special initiatives that recognize artists, broaden arts awareness and celebrate our nation’s cultural life. In November, the President’s Committee was honored to assist President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush, PCAH honorary chair, in marking the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the two foremost federal cultural agencies—the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).

“Over the last 40 years, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities have strengthened our democracy by supporting our nation's ideals, institutions, and emerging talents,” said President Bush to the recipients of the 2005 National Medal of Arts and the National Humanities Medal along with members of the President’s Committee and other leaders in the arts and humanities at a formal dinner at the White House.

Chairman of the President’s Committee Adair Margo remarked that this was “one of first times since President Johnson signed the legislation creating these two agencies that they had been so honored with a state dinner at the White House for their contributions to America’s civic and cultural life.”

In addition to the White House evening, the President’s Committee also invited renowned American artist Jamie Wyeth to create a work of art to commemorate the anniversary. A limited edition print of this work will be shared with state and local arts and humanities agencies, and congressional legislators, who have together over the years made the success and accomplishments of the two agencies possible.

The NEA and the NEH were established in 1965 with the enactment of the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities Act. Since their founding these two agencies have had a decisive impact on the nation’s cultural life from stimulating private investment through their grants’ matching requirements to grow, support and expand access to our nation’s cultural resources to engaging young people through arts and humanities learning to encouraging new works by artists and scholars.

The President's Committee works closely with the NEA, NEH and the Institute of Museum and Library Services to help to bridge the interests of federal agencies and the private sector so as to incorporate the humanities and the arts into White House objectives.