Honestly I find myself wanting to just remove the nation from the equation entirely: Great Art Makes (and Deserves!) Great Art. A tautology, but one whose causality I can wholeheartedly affirm
[The National Endowment for the Arts]‘s current slogan is “A Great Nation Deserves Great Art.” Wince. That imperial bit of provincial pomposity has things exactly backward. Here’s a new NEA motto: “Great Art Makes a Great Nation.” After all, that is how it works
from “It’s time to change the NEA’s motto,” by Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times Culture Monster blog, 19 May 2009 :: via The Curator
May 21, 2009, updated Apr 8, 2025