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But in a wider sense, the advocates are right. Helms' record of opposition to free expression is shameful. The direct-mail attacks, plus the restrictive anti-obscenity pledge, coming just as the NEA charter is up for renewal, have caused immense nervousness in the endowment. Its new director, John Frohnmayer, has wavered under right-wing pressure; one cannot imagine the formidable Nancy Hanks, who ran the NEA from 1969 to 1977, quailing before the likes of Helms and Rohrabacher. The chill makes the NEA much more circumspect about awards, especially to performance artists. And the NEA has limply allowed the opposition to frame the terms of the debate. The grants to Mapplethorpe and artist Andres Serrano, creator of the notorious Piss Christ, were two controversies in 25 years that caused a big public outcry. Two out of 85,000 is statistically insignificant.
Support for the NEA is stronger in the Senate than in the House, probably because the whole House is up for re-election this year, whereas only a third of the Senate is. Plenty of folk on Capitol Hill have been sandbagged into acting as though a vote for the NEA is a vote for blasphemy, pederasty and buggery. They should think again. And so should those who imagine support of the arts would be better served by putting the NEA's budget in the hands of the states, an alternative Republican proposal that would trivialize arts funding in a melee of local politics.
The artists too will need to resist; this means much more organization, never their strong suit. NEA Chairman Frohnmayer says he is dismayed by their slow reaction to the attacks: "I'm not sure there is an arts community out there because they've been silent for such a long time." So far, only two artists seeking grants have refused to sign a letter saying they will abide by the anti-obscenity pledge. (But last week the New School for Social Research filed a suit challenging the restrictions.) The real "silent majority" on this issue is the millions of Americans who believe in the value of the arts -- and it is time they spoke out.