Artist Barbara Prey to Serve on National Council on the Arts

Art Forum

December 29th, 2008

Artist Barbara Ernst Prey has been confirmed by the US Senate to serve on the National Council on the Arts, an advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts.  The confirmation follows her nomination by President Bush to serve on the council.  A visual artist who specializes in watercolor, Prey has work included in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as the Whit House.  Prey earned her undergraduate degree in art history from Williams College and her master’s degree from Harvard University.  She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, enabling her to travel, study, work, and exhibit extensively in Europe and Asia.

The National Council on the Arts advises the NEA chairman on programs and policies.  Council members review and make recommendations to the chairman on grant applications, funding program guidelines, and national initiatives.  Members are chosen for their widely recognized knowledge of the arts, their expertise or profound interest in the arts, and their established record of distinguished service or achievement in the arts.  The council comprises fourteen private citizens and six ex-officio members of Congress.  Prey was confirmed to serve a full six year term until 2014.  She will replace outgoing council member Mark Hofflund, managing director of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.  “Barbara Prey’s nomination continues our tradition of having prominent visual artists as members of the National Council on the Arts,” said NEA chairman Dana Gioia.  “We welcome her participation and counsel.”