APPENDIX M --WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MS. JUDITH ANN BUTLER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AMERICANS UNITED TO SAVE THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES, WASHINGTON, D.C. AMERICANS UNITED TO SAVE THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES Statement of Judith Ann Butler Executive Director Americans United to Save the Arts and Humanities Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families Hearing on the National Endowment for the Arts Room 2175 Rayburn House Office Building I would like to thank the Chairmen and members of both of the subcommittees for this opportunity to testify on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts. I come before you today as the Executive Director of Americans United to Save the Arts and Humanities. Americans United is a bipartisan advocacy organization formed just over two years ago. It is composed of over 100 business leaders from around the country who have publicly stated their support for federal funding of the NEA and the NEH. We have sponsored newspaper ads demonstrating that support, which you may have seen. We have written to Members of Congress and the White House urging support. Some of you may have heard personally from our members. 1001 G STREET, N.W. SUITE 800 EAST WASHINGTON, DC 20001 PHONE 202 783-1901 FAX 202 393-0151 A small sampling of our membership includes: Richard Franke, the Chair of Americans United and Chairman Emeritus of the John Nuveen Company, Paul Allaire, CEO of Xerox, Ed Brennan, CEO of Sears & Roebuck; Winton "Red" Blount, Chairman of the Board of Blount International; Donald Hall, Chairman of the Board of Hallmark Cards; Donald Fisher, Chairman of the Gap; Henry Kravis, Founding Partner of Kohlberg, Kravis & Roberts; Leonard Lauder, CEO of Estee Lauder Companies; William Ruckelshaus, CEO of Browning-Ferris Industries; Robin Smith, CEO of Publishers Clearinghouse; David Rockefeller, Chairman Emeritus of Chase Manhatten Bank; Michael Pulitzer, CEO of the Pulitzer Publishing Company; Andrew Heiskell, Chairman Emeritus of Time, Inc., and John Bryan, CEO of Sara Lee Corporation. The message from these CEOs is clear, and articulated so well by another one of our members--Philip Condit, the President of Boeing--in a letter to Senator Slade Gorton, which states in part, "The arts have been a valuable component for creating a healthy business climate, and the NEA has been a critical catalyst in this growth." Our members have repeatedly told me that during their business careers, they came to value prospective job candidates with a solid education in the arts. They have seen that an arts education produces workers with such thinking skills as analysis, synthesis, evaluation and critical judgment. Exposure to the arts nourishes imagination and creativity. It develops collaborative and teamwork skills, technological competencies, cross-disciplinary skills, flexible thinking, and an appreciation for diversity. An applicant's 2 ability to think creatively and work collaboratively is a great asset. Those who have learned not to let conventional ways of doing things dominate their approach to problemsolving can help companies be successful in our very competitive global economy. The personal observations of our CEOs have been borne out in recent studies conducted by the College Entrance Examination Board. Students who study the arts for just four years show an increase in their SAT scores by 65 points on their verbal tests and 45 points on math tests. When the arts are a strong component of the school environment, drop-out rates and absenteeism decline. We believe that a better educated student makes a better employee. Having stated specific benefits to companies, let's talk about the economy as a whole. As you consider the fate of the NEA, please take a moment to match the statistics about the cost of the NEA with statistics about how much prosperity and how many dollars the non-profit arts industry actually can generate. Specifically, the cost to each American is only 38 cents a year. This amounts to less than 1/100 of 1% of the federal budget. Just compare. Nationally, the non-profit arts industry generates $36.8 billion annually in economic activity, supports 1.3 million jobs, produces $790 million in local government revenue and $1.2 billion in state revenue. That money is plowed back into the community in the form of payroll, costumes, lighting, set construction, meals at area restaurants, printing of playbills, insurance for 3 |