<b>KATE BURTON</b>

If I ran the NEA I would look carefully at the truly deserving arts organizations out there that serve their communities the most effectively. I would also consider giving grants to individual artists who have contributed startling new work to encourage them. In these desperate economic times, the arts are more essential than ever before. Of the six plays I have acted in in the last 12 months, five of them have been at not-for-profit theaters in five different cities and towns. From New York City to the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts to Sag Harbor on Long Island to Los Angeles to Boston, these theaters have all contributed to the rich cultural life of the community. Judging by the responses of the audiences, the power of art helps us weather these hard times.