I knew as well as anybody what the endowment does for artists because I had been someone it had supported through not-for-profit theater.

Senator Helms might very well do that. I would point out to him that we in the art world are not necessarily in the business of making controversial art.

Now, I cannot approve anything the council has rejected, but I can reject anything the council has approved.

No one's conception of art is going to be acceptable to everybody.

Most of our funding goes to organizations and is then used to leverage the private sector.

It would be difficult, in this day and age, to fund art that made racial slurs.