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Senate Confirms Three New Members for the National Council on the ArtsNovember 22, 2004
Washington, D.C. - Three new members of the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), were confirmed today by the United States Senate. The three were nominated to the Council by President George W. Bush. They are: James K. Ballinger (director of the Phoenix Art Museum), Gerard Schwarz (music director of the Seattle Symphony), and Terry Teachout (drama critic of the Wall Street Journal). NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said, "All three of these new members are distinguished leaders in their respective fields. They are ideal additions to the National Council on the Arts. I couldn't be more pleased with these confirmations." Biographies James K. Ballinger James K. Ballinger, a specialist in American Art, has been director of the Phoenix Art Museum since 1982. He has directed major exhibitions including Americans in Brittany and Normandy 1860-1910, Diego Rivera: The Cubist Years, Frank Lloyd Wright Drawings and Frederic Remington's Southwest. He is also author of a monograph, Frederic Remington. Ballinger has served on numerous grant panels for the NEA, the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and the Phoenix Arts Commission. He sits on the boards of the Association of Art Museum Directors, the Phoenix Community Alliance and the L. Roy Papp Mutual Funds. He is also a member of the Maricopa Regional Arts and Cultural Task Force, a new community leader forum. Ballinger received bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Kansas, and completed the Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Gerard Schwarz Maestro Schwarz is in his 19th season as music director of the Seattle Symphony and his third season as music director of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has guest conducted most of the great orchestras of the world, making his operatic conducting debut in 1982 with the Washington Opera. His numerous television credits include annual appearances on PBS's Live from Lincoln Center series with Mostly Mozart. He was named 1994 Conductor of the Year by Musical America International Directory of the Performing Arts, the first American to receive this award. Mr. Schwarz is also a recipient of the prestigious Ditson Conductor's Award from Columbia University and holds an honorary Doctorate from The Juilliard School. In May 2002, the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) recognized the Maestro as a champion of American music. Terry Teachout Terry Teachout is the drama critic of the Wall Street Journal, the music critic of Commentary, and a contributor to the Washington Post. He also writes about the arts for the New York Times, National Review, and other publications. His most recent books are A Terry Teachout Reader and the upcoming All in the Dances: A Brief Life of George Balanchine. Teachout is also the author of The Skeptic: A Life of H. L. Mencken and the editor of Beyond the Boom: New Voices on American Life, Culture, and Politics. He wrote the foreword to Paul Taylor's Private Domain, contributed to The Oxford Companion to Jazz, and has written liner notes for CDs by Chanticleer, Diana Krall, and NEA Jazz Master Marian McPartland. Born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1956, Teachout lived in Kansas City early in his career, working as a jazz bassist and music critic for the Kansas City Star. He earned a bachelor's degree in music and journalism from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO. He lives in New York City. The National Council on the Arts advises the Chairman of the NEA, who also chairs the Council, on agency policies and programs. It reviews and makes recommendations to the Chairman on applications for grants, funding guidelines, and leadership initiatives. For more information about the National Council on the Arts and its members, visit http://www.arts.gov/about/NCA/About_NCA.html Return to News Index National Endowment for the Arts · an independent federal agency |
