This morning, news broke that Dana Gioia will step down as chairperson of the National Endowment for the Arts this coming January. Why? Like many of us in arts administration, he’s an artist himself (a poet), and he says he wants to get back to his writing. He’s taking a half-time position at the Aspen Institute.
At About Last Night, Terry Teachout salutes the outgoing chair, noting wryly that Gioia “might well be remembered as the Bush administration’s single most effective appointee.” Read the Washington Post article on Gioia’s departure and his legacy at the NEA.
Poetry Out Loud, a state-by-state poetry recitation contest, was one of the NEA programs developed during Gioia’s tenure. We (MCC) partner with the NEA, Poetry Foundation, and Huntington Theatre to run the Massachusetts leg. Below is a video created by the Huntington during the 2007 celebrations.
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