download PDF - Robert Sterling Clark Foundation

36
Grants in Support of Arts Advocacy
American Civil Liberties Union Foundation $55,000
Arts Censorship Project
New York, New York
Marjorie Heins, Project Director
The Arts Censorship Project of the American Civil Liberties Union was created in the spring of 1991 in response
to increasing attacks by both government and private pressure groups on artists and arts institutions, especially
those dealing with sexual or controversial themes. The animating philosophy of the Project is that First
Amendment rights are indivisible, that artistic expression is critical to the life of society and the intellectual and
spiritual growth of the individual, and that the public has the right to judge for itself which artistic expressions
are valuable or entertaining. Above all, the Arts Censorship Project is committed to the principle that in a free
society, government must not be permitted to impose its own standards of artistic merit or morality on its citizens
by suppressing creative works. To defend these principles, Project staff develop legal strategies to combat
censorship, provide legal representation for artists and arts organizations under attack, and work to educate policymakers
and the general public about the importance of preserving and protecting First Amendment rights.
National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies $40,000
Washington, D.C.
Robert L. Lynch, President and CEO
Founded in 1978, the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies was created as a membership organization
to support the nation's 3,800 local arts agencies in their effort to develop an essential role for the
arts in America's communities. To further this objective, NALAA conducted research to demonstrate
the value of the arts and, in 1994, collaborated with several local, state, and federal associations including
the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Conference of State Legislators to establish the
Institute for Community Development and the Arts. The Institute's purpose was to demonstrate and
document the economic and social benefits generated by the arts in different parts of the country. After
its first full year of operation, the Institute compiled significant research and created several publications
that demonstrate a wide range of positive outcomes that have resulted from artistic activities. With
our support, NALAA will make this information available to a wide audience and raise the visibility of
the Institute's work. It is expected that the Institute will be retained to continue these activities as
NALAA moves forward with its plans to merge with the American Council for the Arts.