Actor and filmmaker Robert Redford gave the 16th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on September 9, 2003 at the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

Redford talked about the importance of nurturing creativity, public support of the arts, film preservation, and film as an art form. Regarding government funding of the arts, Mr. Redford stated, We need people in office who understand that encouraging creative pursuit could be critical to any number of sectors, from the next great technological idea to the next historic medical discovery. How do you put a price on that? The nurturing of creativity comes into play in everything from world diplomacy to world economics, business endeavors to social endeavors, and everything in between. In all its forms, art plays a critical role in finding our way as people and as a culture.

Nancy Hank served as president of Americans for the Arts (formerly the American Council for the Arts) from 1968 to 1969, when she was appointed chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, a position she served through 1977. During her eight-year tenure at the National Endowment for the Arts, the agency's budget grew 1,400 percent. Until her death 1983, Nancy Hanks worked hard to bring national prominence to the arts. The Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy was established in 1988 to honor the memory of Nancy Hanks and to provide an opportunity for public discourse at the highest levels on the importance of the arts and culture to the nation's well-being.

Actor and filmmaker Robert Redford gave the 16th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on September 9, 2003 at the The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.