Government Arts Boost 'Does Not Come Close To Meeting The Demand,' Says NEA Head
Nearly a thousand arts organizations across the country are receiving funds from the CARES Act. But the National Endowment for the Arts says the $44 million in grants it announced today is not enough.
Mary Maxon was out raking hay on her tractor yesterday morning when a beep on her phone alerted her to the good news. The arts organization she runs on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota had just been awarded a $50,000 grant through the CARES Act.
"We have a 10,000 piece collection and we curate shows all year round," Maxon said, describing the work of . Up, which just celebrated its 52 anniversary. "We know how to lift these artists up and we know how to sell their work, and we're just raising the voices of this very creative community," Maxon says. "There's no Lakota word for art, but it's essential to the culture."
