In the Unreported Arts Recession of 1997, Roadside Theater's artistic director Dudley Cocke outlines a history of the 34 year culture war as experienced by a nonprofit working class theater in rural Appalachia. His essay describes the strategies that resulted in the art of a relatively few dominating the artistic aspirations of the many, and he proposes a remedy.

This week the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Appropriations introduced legislation slashing by 49% the budgets of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Humanities. The subcommittee’s rationale: "The activities and content funded by these agencies go beyond the core mission of the federal government, and they are generally enjoyed by people of higher-income levels, making them a wealth transfer from poorer to wealthier citizens."