Earlier this week, Classicalite published a story on the National Endowment for the Arts' (NEA) Jazz Masters concert.
Featuring both Anthony Braxton and Jamey Aebersold (and hosted by both Wynton Marsalis and Soledad O'Brien), as you can see it was quite the celebration.
Here's Keith Jarrett, himself.
If you're up-to-date with the organization, then you might have heard that the NEA skirted a budget slash dealt out by the Obama Administration yesterday.
The institution is slated to receive $146.02 million as per the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill. This is a decrease from the proposed $154.47 million, but it's roughly in accordance with 2013's budget of $146.26 million.
This served as a monetary respite from the initial proposition to cut NEA funding by 49%, thanks to arts advocacy group Americans for the Arts.
If that wasn't enough to shock and awe contributors and founders of the organization, Donald Trump will force the NEA, the National Endowment for the Humanities and other federal organizations from their offices at the historic Old Post Office Pavilion in February of this year.
The new leaseholder, The Trump, will convert the monument into, what else, the Trump International Hotel.
Below are the stats from the 2014 Omnibus Appropriations bill. The bill shows the proposed budget for cultural groups alongside the Obama administration's numbers (table via Hyperallergic).
The NEA might have avoided a disastrous cut to their funding this time around, but 2015 may prove more difficult as the year continues.
Here, then, is Mr. Alec Baldwin advocating the importance of the NEA.
