of Art Museum Directors spoke out Thursday against the proposed elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and Institute of Museum and Library Services, as outlined in the Trump administration's newly released budget blueprint. Art touches people throughout their lives — from toddlers first learning about the world, to those with Alzheimer’s disease reconnecting with someone they love," the museum directors group said in a statement. Though association members receive only a small fraction of their funding from the federal government, the national organization called the NEA, NEH and IMLS "essential partners" in art museums' work. "These organizations, like all arts institutions, are catalysts for employment and increase the quality of life in their communities. AAMD urges the Congress, where there has been strong bipartisan support for the NEA, NEH, and IMLS, to continue funding these agencies, which play such an important role in our vibrant democracy," the statement read.

Source: Los Angeles Times March 16, 2017 18:43 UTC