Cultural Post in the White House

The day after the Presidential election I started here from several friends and organizations about a push for an arts-related staff position in the Obama White House. At the TCG fall forum, the Performing Arts Alliance and American for the Arts platform clearly called for a Arts advocate on staff in the administration. Then we heard cries for a cultural czar or a cabinet level position be established and internet petitions begin. It seems the work paid off.

According to the New York Times President Obama "has established a staff position in the White House to oversee arts and culture in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs." No other real information is in the article (copied below) other than the person who is to fill the position is Kareem Dale (brief bio from Google search and a link his campaign blog below).

I have to say I am sort of glad that the call for a Czar or Cabinet level position didn't pan out. I always felt that it was asking for trouble and I didn't quite like the idea a federal arts directive under any administration. But a staff position is a completely different angle and could be something that really works well for the arts. Of course without a job description and frankly with no idea what the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs really does, I guess we will have to wait a bit to see what it really means.

I am going to remain optimistic. I hope that Mr. Dale is able at the highest level to help clearly define the value of arts in this country - for educational, cultural, and economical reasons (it's not like we artists have been doing that great job of it). We have a unique opportunity at this time to reinstate the value of the arts to society - our President and first family seem to be active arts participants by choice not force and in times of great change/challenges the arts usually become a touchstone for society. Let's put all of our creativity into creating great art and getting the word out and maybe we (with the help of the Obama administration) will be able to put the arts in a better position than they have ever been in.




Kareem Dale's Campaign Blog

Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Dale previously served as the National Disability Director for the Obama for America campaign. He also served on the Arts Policy Committee and the Disability Policy Committee for then-Senator Obama.

Dale graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor's degree in Advertising in May 1995. He received his JD/MBA in May 1999 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating Cum Laude. While attending law school, Dale was also active in community service, including serving as president of two organizations, the Black Law Students' Association and Open Forum.

New York Times
March 14, 2009

Arts, Briefly

Cultural Post at White House

By ROBIN POGREBIN; Compiled by Patrick Healy

President Barack Obama has established a staff position in the White House to oversee arts and culture in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs under Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser, a White House official confirmed. Kareem Dale, right, a lawyer who last month was named special assistant to the president for disability policy, will hold the new position. Mr. Dale, who is partly blind, previously served as national disability director for the Obama campaign. He also served on the arts policy committee and the disability policy committee for Mr. Obama when he was a senator from Illinois. Bill Ivey, who served as the administration’s transition-team leader for the arts and humanities, said he was encouraged by the appointment and would meet with Mr. Dale next week. “It’s a big step forward in terms of connecting cultural and government with mainstream administration policy,” Mr. Ivey said in an interview on Friday. The White House declined to describe the position in detail, since Mr. Dale’s appointment has yet to be formally announced. Mr. Ivey, a former chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, said he expected that the job would mainly involve coordinating the activities of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services “in relation to White House objectives.” Although there have been staff members assigned to culture under past presidents, they usually served in the first lady’s office, Mr. Ivey said.