Indiana Congressman and former Americans for the Arts Board Member John Brademas died Monday, July 11, in New York City. Brademas had a long career in public service, serving 11 terms in Congress and rising to majority whip in the late 1970s.

A good friend to Americans for the Arts, John Brademas served as a Board Member of the organization from 1982-1996 and was the keynote speaker at the 1991 Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C. A champion of arts and culture, Brademas said in his remarks at the Nancy Hanks Lecture, “The arts are not something to be thrown a bone after everything else is taken care of because everything else will never be taken care of. And it will be up to each of you to make clear that the arts matter.”

Brademas was an advocate for arts education and funding of the arts in Congress. In 1965, he was a sponsor of legislation creating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities and later was a leading advocate for the creation of the Head Start program. After leaving Congress in 1980, John Brademas because the 13th president of New York University and held that position from 1981 to 1992.

Rhodes Scholar, Congressman, arts advocate, and leader of higher learning, John Brademas’ work helped shape policy, arts, and education in the 20th century. The board and staff of Americans for the Arts mourn his passing, but celebrate the great work he brought to our country.