10 Practical Reasons We Need to Defend the National Endowment for the Arts

10 practical reasons need fund defend national endowment arts 1789539

President Donald Trump's administration has renewed efforts to defund the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), proposing for the fourth consecutive year a budget that would zero out the agency. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank that has staffed the current administration, continues to promote its 1997 report 'Ten Good Reasons to Eliminate Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts' as a key reference in debates. This article, originally published in 2020 and republished in response to these developments, systematically rebuts each of the Heritage Foundation's arguments against the NEA, beginning with the claim that private support alone is sufficient.

Exhibition celebrating local artists to be unveiled

Five artists on the Isle of Portland will open their studios to the public as part of Dorset Art Weeks, running from May 23 to June 7 at St George’s Art Studios. The event features encaustic wax artist Lyn Kirkland, printmaker Caro Lester, jeweller Kate Arbon, mixed-media artist Georgie Moore, and multimedia artist Yollande Posthumus. Visitors can view finished works, explore workspaces, and participate in taster workshops on May 30.

Pete Hogan Announces 2025 Open Studio Exhibition on Dublin Bay This Thursday

Irish maritime artist Pete Hogan will open his Sandymount studio on Dublin Bay to the public on Thursday, 11 December 2025, for an event titled Open Studio ’25. The exhibition, themed “Dublin in the Rare Auld Time,” will feature paintings, drawings, and sculpture, with a launch evening from 6 pm to 10 pm at 153 Strand Road, Dublin 4, followed by viewings by appointment. Hogan, a solo circumnavigator in the 1990s and a regular contributor to Afloat.ie, combines his sailing experience with visual art.