NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS.

In 1965, the NEA is founded during the Johnson administration, "marking the first time in American history that substantial federal tax-based funds are allocated for arts spending at the state and local levels," according to art historian Cher Knight.¹¹

One of its first efforts is a (now-defunct) program called Art in Public Places, which provides matching federal funds to support community-led public art initiatives. The first work created in the US using Art in Public Places funding is Alexander Calder's monumental 1969 sculpture La Grande Vitesse in Grand Rapids, MI.

In 1972, New Detroit Inc. successfully applies for $10,000 in Art in Public Places money to help fund the second year of the Living With Art program, which includes the commission of Color Cubes.¹⁰

See ART IN ARCHITECTURE , COLOR CUBES , PUBLIC ART and LIVING WITH ART