The National Endowment for the Arts was created in 1965 under the Johnson Administration. NEA Chairman Jane Chu has been in office for a little over a year, and during that time she has traveled to 30 states. Chu is currently in Iowa, her first visit to the state as Chairman.
On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe talks with Chu about the NEA's current focus, the division's 50th anniversary, and whether we should be encouraging young people into a career in the arts.
"There are certainly areas, like any other industry, that have challenges in terms of keeping a job, but that big stereotype that everyone who participates in the arts is a starving artist actually is not the case," she says. "Here we have in Art Force Iowa the ability for kids not only to feel like they belong, but make a contribution to the economy, as well as have a job at the same time."
In addition to visiting several local arts organizations, Chairman Chu will also participate in a Town Hall hosted by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, and Bravo Greater Des Moines.
