Does the White House Need an Office of the Arts?

A growing number of arts patrons and cultural groups are calling for President-elect Barack Obama to establish a greater role for the arts in his administration, including a new White House Office of the Arts.

But Drew McManus, a nonprofit consultant, challenges this proposal.

“I’m going to propose something that might seem like heresy but read the rest of the article before heading out for effigy supplies: Perhaps we don’t need a White House-level arts office with that much authority,” he writes on his blog Adaptistration.

While he agrees there needs to be a “major change” in how the federal government supports the arts, he is concerned that a new office could create bureaucratic hurdles and conflict with the National Endowment for the Arts.

“Ultimately, if the White House decides to go down the path of establishing a White House Arts Office, the country would be better served by bringing existing NEA resources under its auspices or foregoing that option in favor of a restructured NEA with new leadership throughout all levels,” he writes.

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