Amy: I'm glad that you corrected me on my casual statement about
     NEH's grass-roots impact. Actually, I am reasonably familiar with
     the NEH's Museums Program, being the project developer, writer,
     and director for  planning and implementation grants that are
     running at the NY Botanical Garden right now. Our program is
     indeed intended to make NYBG more accessible on different levels
     to different audiences. I am much less familiar with State
     Humanities Council programs that I am with local arts councils.

     I just have an intuitive sense that concerts, theatre, dance,
     etc outside the major urban concentrations are a stronger selling
     point for Congress. That intuition seems to have been reinforced
     by the House of Representatives' hearings, where the NEH was
     lambasted for the academic/curriculum side of its work (the
     history standards it funded), and the NEA was praised for its
     democratizing influence (though it also came in for its share of
     knocks.) Or at least thats how it came across in the local press.

     Amy, thanks again for calling me on that, I stand corrected.

     Eric Siegel
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