Culture Isn’t on the Debate Agenda (But It Should Be)

“Shouldn’t taxpayers also acquire equity status [in exchange for the Wall St. bailout], so that rather than handing out corporate welfare we get some direct dividend if any of these private companies turn around? And couldn’t that dividend be used, in part, to underwrite full American public participation in the arts? … [And] what if the NEA just changed the rules? What if, say, its art museum exhibition grants were available only to shows that are open free to the public? That one small policy change would cause a profound shift in the way American museums do business.”