By learning the basic principles of design, composition and performing, children discover a range of cultural venues, "all with a view of developing a serious sense of art that will ultimately enable students to transverse the world of art with a degree of autonomy" (Smith). In other words, arts education completes the "circle of humanity," the basic forms of culture that distinguish the human condition, thus an individual can speak of "becoming human through art" (Smith). The National Endowment for the Arts is responsible for providing funding and grants for a myriad of arts programs in schools and communities throughout the United States. Moreover, when Dan Gioia retired from business to lead the National Endowment for the Arts, he immediately sent a Shakespeare company on tour of smaller communities and military bases, a decision which secured new support for the endowment from organizations...

According to Bill Ivey, the past director of the N.E.A., "the future of the arts rests with public policy" (Colwell). In two thousand years, when archeologists sift through the debris left by the 21st century, it will be the art left behind that defines today's society.
Works Cited

Colwell, Richard. "Whither programs and arts policy?" Arts Education Policy Review.

July 1, 2005. Retrieved December 07, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.

Redmond, Robin. "The arts make a difference. Journal of Arts Management, Law and Society. March 22, 2006. Retrieved December 07, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library.

Smith, Ralph. "The arts endowment and arts education: ideally, what can be done?"

Arts Education Policy Review. September 1, 2001. Retrieved December 07, 2006 from HighBeam Research Library