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For Immediate Release

Stevie Wonder Receives Legendary Artist Award · Government Arts Awards Honor Local, State and Federal Leadership

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Americans for the Arts and the United States Conference of Mayors are pleased to host the inaugural Mayors Arts Gala honoring local, state and federal government officials who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the arts. Also receiving honors, music master Stevie Wonder with a Legendary Artist Award and Roger Stevens, founding chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Council on the Arts, with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in the Advancement of the Arts.

At a black tie event at the Grand Hyatt Ballroom in Washington, D.C., January 29, 1998, those recognized for outstanding government leadership in the arts include: · New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial, Chair of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Arts, Culture and Recreation Committee, for local arts leadership; · Minnesota Governor Arne H. Carlson, for state arts leadership (presented in partnership with the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies); · Congresswoman Louise Slaughter of New York, for Congressional arts leadership in the United States House of Representatives; and · Senator Slade Gorton of Washington, for Congressional arts leadership in the United States Senate.

"I am honored to join the distinguished lineup of leaders who have a passion for preserving the arts for communities large and small throughout this nation," said Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter. "We recognize the power of the arts to transcend our differences, transport our imaginations and teach our children."

At a critical time filled with considerable debate over the role of federal funding for the arts, Representative Slaughter - a Democrat representing the 28th District of New York serving her sixth term in the House - founded the bipartisan Congressional Membership Organization for the Arts, a unifying effort that includes 116 Members of Congress. As its Chairwoman, she has led her colleagues in a successful effort to preserve funding for the federal cultural agencies, boosting visibility for the issues through Capitol Hill events, Congressional letter writing campaigns, press conferences, supportive testimony before key Congressional committees, floor speeches and more.

As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Interior, Senator Slade Gorton is another key player in issues related to the National Endowment for the Arts. After the House of Representatives eliminated the NEA's budget last year, Senator Gorton restored $100 million for the agency, a slight yet symbolic increase from the previous fiscal year. Under his leadership, the bill passed unanimously in subcommittee and was later approved by full committee. Following House-Senate conference negotiations, the NEA received $98 million for FY98 - a victory made possible by Senator Gorton's bold stance on behalf of the agency.

Minnesota Governor Arne H. Carlson has proven that it is possible to be a fiscal conservative - and still support the arts. During his tenure, the Governor has: brought the state out of debt and created a budget surplus; cut taxes by more than $1 billion; and provided the largest education spending increase in the state's history. And since Governor Carlson took office in 1991, funding for the arts has increased more than $19 million - more than 229 percent - to $26 million for the biennium, boosting Minnesota to second place among the 50 states in per capita arts spending at a level of $2.79 per person.

New Orleans Mayor Marc H. Morial understands the value of the federal-state-local partnership when it comes to arts funding, and has championed for the arts nationally -as Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Committee on Arts, Culture and Recreation and a member of the Americans for the Arts National Policy Board - as well as in his own city.

"In New Orleans, and many other cities, the arts are a driving force for economic growth," said Mayor Morial. "I am honored to receive this award for something that is so important to our nation's heritage: the continued growth of American art."

Mayor Morial has brought vitality, energy and change to the city government of New Orleans since he took office in May 1994. In his first year on the job, he created the Office of Tourism, Arts and Entertainment within the city government to foster development of these industries, and spearheaded the Arts Tourism Partnership, making New Orleans' arts and cultural attractions increasingly available and accessible to visitors and residents of the city.

Representing arts and government leaders on the local level, Americans for the Arts and the Conference of Mayors are natural partners. As mayors seek innovative solutions to civic issues, many are turning to the arts to help provide creative answers to urban challenges. It is in this spirit that Americans for the Arts founded its Institute for Community Development for the Arts, and partnered with the Conference of Mayors to document and disseminate information on programs that use the arts to affect social, economic and educational change.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors and Americans for the Arts have also developed a public policy agenda, which includes public support for the arts, as well as Arts Advocacy Day and policy resolutions in support of issues such as arts education, cultural tourism, arts programs for youth at risk, National Arts and Humanities Month and innovative arts funding mechanisms.

Together, Americans for the Arts and the U.S. Conference of Mayors have worked to promote the power of the arts and created a partnership that links the arts to issues that affect people in communities coast to coast. The Mayors Arts Gala will honor those who have significantly advanced the arts on the national, state and local levels, bringing national attention to the profound contributions of those in public service.