The author makes an explicit commitment to prophecy about the future of the arts and public arts policy. He extrapolates from currently available data and trend analyses to predict what the policy emphases of public arts agencies may be during the next twenty-five years. The author foresees fundamental changes. Since the halcyon days of the late 1960's and 1970's, economic crises have made public arts support highly vulnerable in some environments. The author predicts that nonprofit arts organizations face ever-rising costs from many sources and that the growing income gap will not be closed by earned income, the NEA, new audiences or increased admissions, individual giving, or corporate support. Many middle-sized organization will cease to exist. As a result, he concludes, a major realignment in government assistance for the arts will occur, characterized by greater emphasis on national cultural treasures, aggressive competition over scarce public resources, and an enhanced role for universities as the creative centers of nation.

CONTENTS
Introduction.
What is has emerged from What was.
What is is changing.
Funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
Earned income, private giving and the arts: Individual gifts.
Corporate support.
The heart of the issue.
The future of public arts support.
Conclusions.
Notes [bibliography].

The author makes an explicit commitment to prophecy about the future of the arts and public arts policy. He extrapolates from currently available data and trend analyses to predict what the policy emphases of public arts agencies may be during the next twenty-five years. The author foresees fundamental changes. Since the halcyon days of the late 1960's and 1970's, economic crises have made public arts support highly vulnerable in some environments. The author predicts that nonprofit arts organizations face ever-rising costs from many sources and that the growing income gap will not be closed by earned income, the NEA, new audiences or increased admissions, individual giving, or corporate support.