Rocco Responds

By Suzy Evans in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 28, 2009 6:40PM

National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Rocco Landesman still prefers the Steppenwolf, even after his HUGE slip-up when he basically said the Steppenwolf and Goodman are better than whatever theater there is in Peoria, IL. (Well, he said he didn't know of a theater in Peoria and he wanted to fund the kind of art at the Steppenwolf and Goodman. Close enough.)

Landesman plans to check out Peoria's theater later this year, but he still won't apologize for what he said. In a recent interview with the Tribune, he said it will be difficult for him to be careful about what he says because he's not a political guy. "I am who I am," he said. "I’ve arrived by speaking my mind and being open and honest." In regards to his earlier controversial comment, he also told the Tribune:

“I feel like the point I was making has some validity. If you raise the need for artistic standards, then how does it follow that you are being elitist? Good art can come from anywhere. But the kind of art I am going to be more engaged by is more likely to be presented at Steppenwolf. I didn’t understand the big furor. I think the NEA should be concentrated on excellence. And we want to find that everywhere we can.”

Landesman also said Chicago will be ground zero in the new era of arts and arts education. However, just because the good people at the White House and in Chicago believe in the arts, doesn't mean Landesman can afford it with the NEA's tiny budget. The NEA's budget for 2009 is $155 million, and President Obama requested a 4 percent increase to $161.3 for 2010. However, that can't make up for the huge funding cuts the Illinois Arts Council has seen. How is Chicago supposed to start the movement if we don't have money to do so?