In this work, Canadian and American scholars, critics, government officials, and arts presenters discuss varied aspects of the role of government in the arts. The first section addresses general questions of government involvement in the arts in Canada and the U.S., and also presents a comparison of North American arts policy with governmental policy toward the arts in Western Europe. The second section examines government policies toward arts education and cultural exchange in Canada and the U.S. The final section examines the tensions that arise concerning free expression and censorship when the governments of Canada and the U.S. allocate funds to support particular artists, programs, or projects.

Contributions by: Walter Pittman, Margaret J. Wyszomirski, Milton C. Cummings, Barbara Probst Solomon, Alan Yaffe, Curtis Barlow, Betty Hanley, Joyce Zemans, Karen Faaborg, Gordon A. Christenson, John Lofton. Co-published with the Center for Democratic Citizenship