Bill Ivey was chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts during the Clinton administration. More recently he has been director of the Curb Center at Vanderbilt University, and, after last year’s presidential election, ran the Obama administration’s transition team for culture. So what place will the arts have in the new administration? Ivey says the jury’s still out. #
As for another big issue that surfaced during the transition – should America have an Arts Czar, a Secretary of Culture? – Ivey has some surprisingly strong feelings about it. Here’s part of my interview with him last week in Seattle: #
Ivey is also the author of Arts, Inc., which argues that “the expanding footprint of copyright, an unconstrained arts industry
marketplace, and a government unwilling to engage culture as a serious
arena for public policy have come together to undermine art, artistry,
and cultural heritage–the expressive life of America.” #
Our culture is undergoing profound changes. Our expectations for what culture can (or should) do for us are changing. Relationships between those who make and distribute culture and those who consume it are changing. And our definitions of what artists are, how they work, and how we access them and their work are changing. So... 
Bill Ivey has achieved so much and fostered the engagement of so many new supporters, his take on the position is a little surprising. He's really insightful, as usual. Hope the policy makers and voters adopt his thoughtful ways of approaching culture and the arts. Thanks for the post.