ROANOKE TIMES

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 22, 1990                   TAG: 9003221837
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-8   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                 LENGTH: Short


BUSH WON'T RENEW LIMITS ON ART FUNDS

The Bush administration told Congress Wednesday it would not seek to control the content of art supported with federal tax dollars.

Controversy over whether to restrict content of federally financed art received extensive publicity last year because of two photographic exhibits supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. One included depictions of sadomasochism and homoerotic acts. Another included a photo of a crucifix in a jar of urine.

This year's spending bill contained restrictions, good for just one year, inspired by Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., on financing works defined as obscene within limits set by the Supreme Court.

In submitting legislation Wednesday to extend the arts endowment five years starting Oct. 1, the administration chose not to extend restrictions.

John Frohnmayer, chairman of the endowment, told the House Education and Labor subcommittee on post-secondary education that the restrictions caused "much concern and confusion" in the arts community. "It is our conclusion that the legislation proposed here which contains no content restrictions . . . will best serve the American public," he said.



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