President Joe Biden announced the reinstating of the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities – whose members had resigned under former President Trump.
On Friday last week, Biden signed an executive order to re-form the committee, which comprises cultural experts and is responsible for advising the president on the same. The announcement was a part of the many cultural programs that happened in the White House over the course of last week. While passing the order, Biden called the committee essential to the nation’s well-being.
In August 2017, 17 members of the committee collectively resigned. In their open letter, they highlighted the Charlottesville violence that took place recently and criticized Trump’s response to the event. They condemned the Trump administration’s support for white supremacists and right-wing hate groups, along with the rapid de-funding of federal art programs. The signatories included author Jhumpa Lahiri, actor Kal Penn and artist Chuck Rose. However, the Trump administration followed it with a statement saying that the committee was scheduled to be dissolved by the end of 2017 anyway.
After a recent report highlighted the negative impact of the pandemic on the art sector in the US, 15 lawmakers called for the reinstating of the committee. The committee – first formed in 1892 – will continue its traditional function under President Biden. These include overseeing federal funding for art projects and cultural preservation, as well as education in arts and humanities. Mario Rosario Jackson, who is already the chair of the National Endowment of Arts, will be a part of the new committee. The committee will have up to 25 members and meet twice a year to discuss their plans.
