United States Commission of Fine Arts

United States Commission of Fine Arts
Members of the Commission of Fine Arts, February 2009.

The United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), established in 1910 by an act of Congress, is an advisory agency of the Federal government.

The CFA is mandated to review and provide advice on "matters of design and aesthetics", involving federal projects and planning in Washington, D.C. In accordance with the Old Georgetown Act, the CFA advises on matters of historic preservation in the Georgetown neighborhood in Washington, and other areas adjacent to "federal interests", in accordance with the Shipstead-Luce Act, authored by Minnesota Senator Henrik Shipstead and Michigan Congressman Henry Luce.

The CFA mandate does not apply to the United States Capitol, the Library of Congress, or the other properties and locations overseen by the Architect of the Capitol.

Contents

History

In the context of the McMillan Plan for the capital city, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Council of Fine Arts by executive order in 1909. He appointed the following thirty men to this aesthetic review board, reflecting the "official tastemakers" of the day: architects Cass Gilbert, C. Grant La Farge, Walter Cook, William A. Boring, S.B.P. Trowbridge, John G. Howard, Glenn Brown, Thomas Rogers Kimball, John Mauran, Daniel Burnham, John M. Donaldson, George B. Post, Arnold Brunner, Robert Swain Peabody, Charles Follen McKim, William S. Eames, James Rush Marshall, Abram Garfield, Frank Miles Day, William B. Mundie, and C. Howard Walker. Painters John La Farge, Francis Davis Millet, Edwin Blashfield, and Kenyon Cox. Sculptors Daniel Chester French, Herbert Adams, Hermon Atkins MacNeil, Karl Bitter; and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.. The Fine Arts Council was a false start, and was immediately embroiled in controversy. The Council met only once.

The succeeding Council of Fine Arts, created by Act of Congress in the William Howard Taft administration, was organized with only seven members, and Taft made Daniel Burnham the chairman. Burnham's chairmanship was significant; it was his work at the World's Columbian Exposition and the Burnham Plan for Chicago that was the principle influence on the creation of the McMillan Plan to begin with.

Since then the seven seats on the CFA have been held by figures like J. Alden Weir, Paul Manship, Frederick Hart, George Biddle and Lee Lawrie. Current members include Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk and Witold Rybczynski.

In May 2008, the Commission, which has final approval on all elements of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, raised concerns about "the colossal scale and Social Realist style of the proposed sculpture" noting that it "recalls a genre of political sculpture that has recently been pulled down in other countries." The letter, and the ensuing publicity, brought the controversial use of Chinese slave labor in marble and a Chinese sculptor to the attention of the greater public.

Commissioners

The current members of the Commission are:

  • Earl A. Powell III, Chair, Appointed 18 May 2008
  • Pamela Nelson, Vice-Chair, Appointed 18 September 2005
  • John Belle, Appointed 21 April 2005
  • N. Michael McKinnell, Appointed 1 December 2005
  • Diana Balmori, Appointed 18 May 2008
  • Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, Appointed 18 May 2008
  • Witold Rybczynski, Appointed 16 June 2008

References

  • Shaila Dewan. ""Larger Than Life, More to Fight Over"". New York Times, New York Times, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-05-18
  • Daniel H. Burnham, Architect, Planner of Cities, by Charles Moore

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • United States Commission of Fine Arts — Commission des beaux arts des États Unis La Commission des beaux arts des États Unis (United States Commission of Fine Arts ou CFA), créée en 1910 par un acte du Congrès américain est une agence chargée de conseiller le gouvernement fédéral des… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Commission des beaux-arts des États-Unis — La Commission des beaux arts des États Unis (United States Commission of Fine Arts ou CFA), créée en 1910 par un acte du Congrès américain est une agence chargée de conseiller le gouvernement fédéral des États Unis. Le CFA a pour mandat de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Religious symbolism in the United States military — Insignias (left to right) for Christian, Muslim and Jewish chaplains are shown on the uniforms of three U.S. Navy chaplains, 1998. (These were the only insignias in use at that time.) Religious symbolism in the United States military includes the …   Wikipedia

  • United States Department of Homeland Security — DHS redirects here. For other uses, see DHS (disambiguation). United States Department of Homeland Security Agency overview Formed …   Wikipedia

  • UNITED STATES OF AMERICA — UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, country in N. America. This article is arranged according to the following outline: introduction Colonial Era, 1654–1776 Early National Period, 1776–1820 German Jewish Period, 1820–1880 East European Jewish Period,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • United States Conference of Mayors — Current USCM President Antonio Villaraigosa Abbreviation USCM Formation 1932 …   Wikipedia

  • United States — a republic in the N Western Hemisphere comprising 48 conterminous states, the District of Columbia, and Alaska in North America, and Hawaii in the N Pacific. 267,954,767; conterminous United States, 3,022,387 sq. mi. (7,827,982 sq. km); with… …   Universalium

  • United States Capitol Preservation Commission — The United States Capitol Preservation Commission was established under Title VIII of Public Law 100 696 (USC|2|2081) in November 1988 for the purpose of providing for improvements in, preservation of, and acquisitions (including works of fine… …   Wikipedia

  • United States home front during World War II — The United States home front during World War II covers the developments within the United States, 1940 1945, to support its efforts during World War II.Taxes and controlsFederal tax policy was highly contentious during the war, with a liberal… …   Wikipedia

  • National Christmas Tree (United States) — This article is about the Christmas Tree placed on the Ellipse near the White House. For the Christmas Tree placed inside the White House, see White House Christmas tree. For for the giant Sequoia known as the Nation s Christmas Tree , see… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”