In the Arts: Stimulus Applications Flood Federal Arts Agency

The National Endowment for the Arts has received more than 2,000 applications from groups seeking a slice of the $50-million in federal stimulus funds earmarked for the arts, The New York Times reports.

About 40 percent of the money was awarded last week to state and regional arts organizations for redistribution to local cultural groups. The endowment will allocate the remaining $29.5-million to nonprofit arts and cultural organizations; the endowment said proposals that are designed to preserve jobs will get top priority.

In other arts news, the Los Angeles Times reports that the philanthropist Eli Broad — who just pledged $425,000 to save the Juilliard School’s program for poor and minority students — said he would support similar efforts in Los Angeles if the city school system better manages its arts programs.

Also, The New York Times says that Dance Theater of Harlem has appointed Virginia Johnson, a founding member of the company and former editor of the ballet magazine Pointe, as its new artistic director.

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