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Leaving Town Alive
Frohnmayer journeyed to Washington, D.C., in 1989 to serve a cause he believed in deeply--the arts in America. Handpicked by President Bush to be chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, he was abruptly fired two and a half years later in a storm of front-page controversy. An eloquent plea for the liberation of American culture from the narrow concerns of partisan politics. Photographs.
360 pages, Hardcover
First published April 26, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 24, 2017
Good time capsule book about the uproar at the National Endowment for the Arts (circa 1989) vs. all manner of fundamentalists It gets a little lost in the weeds, but the central conflict between Frohnmayer, a champion of free speech, and the right wing of the Republican party and their fundamentalist supporters comes across with infuriating clarity.
January 2, 2015
I think I need to read less angst inducing books. :) Or at least not so many in a row. This is a book, written by the chair of the NEA from 1990-1992 (ouch, I know). It is by turns fascinating, boring, infuriating, thought provoking, and frustrating. It is basically an expose of his time as NEA Chairman, a job that he got fired from in 1992 for being too controversial. He was "against obscenity" but felt that good art should be supported by the NEA, more or less regardless of political persuasion, content, etc. I thought a lot about my own views on "appropriate" art, politics in Washington (which I will never, ever understand). Let's just say his approach was very different than Lynne Cheneys at NEH. Hm.
March 18, 2010
Reading Jane Alexander's "Command Performance" and now I want more perspective on the history of the NEA.
3/17--a very interesting read. If you're keen on First Amendment and obscenity history, this is a great resource. It shows a first hand perspective of some of the most tumultuous arts funding debates in the US. Can be dry at times, but you can skim.
3/17--a very interesting read. If you're keen on First Amendment and obscenity history, this is a great resource. It shows a first hand perspective of some of the most tumultuous arts funding debates in the US. Can be dry at times, but you can skim.
June 21, 2008
Decent examination of the intersection of politics, art and the first amendment. Frohnmayer is a bit overwrought at times but it's a good (albeit) depressing story.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews