Ed Bryant, July 19, 2002

Would you believe that your tax dollars have gone to fund homoerotic, anti-Christian works of "art"? Or that your taxes have been used to produce pornographic films? The answer to both questions is yes, through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). I believe that the federal government should not be involved in deciding what is or is not art, and we have no place funding what most Americans find offensive.

A project funded by the NEA involved a crucifix submerged in urine. Defenders of the project talked about artistic freedom and the First Amendment. However, these are not the issues with the piece that we are concerned about. The issue is whether or not your money should be going to pay for such vile pieces of "art". Should the federal government be picking up the tab for this project, and does the government have the right to decide what whether or not the project actually is "artistic"?

Another NEA funded project was the play "Corpus Christi," which depicted Jesus having sexual relations with his apostles. Instead of being reprimanded by the NEA for hosting this play, the theater has since received additional NEA grants. An organization named "Women Make Movies" received more than $100,000 over a 3-year period and distributed pornographic films with names like "Sex Fish," and "Watermelon Woman." After the uproar caused by the news of this grant, one would imagine that the NEA would not give more of your tax dollars to this organization. Unfortunately, the NEA gave them at least two more grants that were used to distribute more pornographic materials.

We all have different views on what is art. What one person considers a masterpiece, another may consider to be worthless. There is no objective, quantitative method of judging what is good art and what is bad art. Since we have disparate tastes, the government should not be the arbiter when it comes to distributing funds for artistic works.

If the NEA suddenly disappeared, arts in America would not die. There are plenty of foundations and organizations in the nation that exist to support the arts. Funded through private donations, these organizations fund works of art that their donors want to see. Without the help of the government, plays are being performed, films are being screened and paintings are being displayed all across America.

If you want to spend your money on a movie, you are free to do so. However, if you don’t think that the movie is appropriate, you are not being forced to spend money on it. Why then should the government spend your money on projects you may never see, or may never want to see?

Attempts this year to defund the NEA, which I supported, were not successful. If you want to support the arts, I encourage you to do so. However, the government has no business in deciding what is art, and then spending your money on it. Art is very subjective, and Uncle Sam should not be the final word on what is good and what is not.

Congressman Ed Bryant represents Tennessee's Seventh Congressional District.