Bush Pressed NEA To Deny Artists' Grants

WASHINGTON - Former President George Bush personally pressured a government agency to deny art grants three years ago to four controversial stage performers, it was disclosed in federal court documents.

The alleged pressure came to light in a letter Bush wrote in 1990 which was released to news media by civil liberties organizations that announced over the weekend the government settled a court suit with the artists for $252,000.

The artists, whose performances include feminist and gay themes, were refused federal grants by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1990 in highly publicized cases.

The NEA, then headed by chairman John Frohnmayer, had turned down the grants sought by artists Karen Finley, Holly Hughes, Tim Miller and John Fleck.

In releasing details of the lawsuit, lawyers for the four said they had uncovered a letter from Bush to Frohnmayer before the grants were rejected.

In the letter, Bush said, "I do not want to see censorship, yet I don't believe a dime of taxpayer's money should go into `art' that is clearly and visibly filth."

The agency, already under pressure from right-wing groups and conservatives in Congress for its funding decisions, later turned down the artists' grant requests.

In a settlement of the lawsuit reached Friday with the Justice Department, the four performance artists were awarded the grants, plus compensatory damages.

Finley and Hughes were each awarded $8,000 in grant monies. Miller and Fleck will be given $5,000 each in grants. The money represents the funds they originally sought, according to the settlement.

In addition, each will receive $6,000 in compensatory damages for government violation of their privacy rights by purportedly leaking news stories about their grant applications. The four were awarded $202,000 in legal costs.

David Cole, one of the artists' lawyers, said the $252,000 should send a strong signal to the agency that bowing to political pressures in awarding artistic grants can be very costly.