THE CONTRIBUTORS: Jan Breslauer, Rick Du Brow, David Fox, Diane Haithman, Steve Hochman, Barbara Isenberg, Judith Michaelson, Suzanne Muchnic. KEN BURNS Filmmaker, producer of PBS’ “The

Civil War.” What is art? Art is anything that speaks to more than one person and reflects truths that we as a species consider universal. Anything else--too conceptual or too abstract or too

selfish--doesn’t cut it. Who decides? Unfortunately who decides what’s art is a small group: Media, dealers, the moneyed crowd. And that’s a bad thing. I’m sure a great deal of good art is

missed. Who pays? Fortunately in one sense that small group that decides also pays. But really the artists who aren’t recognized _ pay _ in an entirely different way, and then we all lose.

superficial doodling. Who decides? For politicians and bureaucrats, most of whom may be reasonably well educated in all kinds of fields and experience but _ not _ in the arts, to attempt to

legislate what art is or should be is downright impertinent. Who pays? It is a pity that political considerations have allowed the debate about the meaning of art to degenerate to the absurd

level imposed by Sen. Helms and that the leadership of the National Endowment for the Arts has been so weak and vacillating. Where strength and reason should have prevailed, expediency and

abject compromise have reduced debate on the arts in this country to a level totally unworthy of a nation that likes to call itself civilized. LUIS VALDEZ Playwright, stage and film director

who founded El Teatro Campesino, which this year celebrated its 25th anniversary. Who owns America? Worldwide corporations, economically. Spiritually and culturally--and inevitably,

politically--it is the vast masses of the hemisphere. Why worry? We need to worry about a great sense of desperation that can settle in the midst of great change. Fear leads to anger which

lead to violence. I’m alarmed by the growth of cynicism and this superficial, facile manipulation of stereotypes for the sake of momentary excitement. As movies get bigger at the expense of

someone’s humanity, we only do injury to ourselves. The theater by its nature is an upper middle class phenomenon, which excludes a lot of people. The economics effect our very existence:

there should be more federal, state and private funding. Why not? Even everybody in America is beginning to understand the international co-dependence. The U.S. cannot evade the problems

created south of the border by strengthening the border. Solutions must be found that emphasize international cooperation. The role of the artists is foremost in creating the basis for this

political understanding, by clarifying cultural differences and the common history of humanity. As the word _ multicultural _ is floating all over, we need to develop a new concept of

worldwide social integration, and this is where the arts must take the lead. The “Miss Saigon” affair was indicative of the questions being asked. The final decision was a failure: it was

made on the basis of money. Too often greed determines the direction humanity is taking. JOY SILVERMAN Co-founder of the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression, which was formed in

repsonse to challenges to artists and arts organizations. What is art? I don’t think that was part of the discussion this year. I think it was kind of a screen. The question that should have

been asked is, ‘What is the value of art?’ The whole issue was used by people on the far right, religious fundamentalists and politicians in an election year. Why doesn’t the public know

more about art? There needs to be an ongoing dialogue about understanding art. That didn’t take place. The sad part is the reality of how little the American public gets access to its own

cultural heritage because of a lack of appreciation for the significance of art in our society. Who decides? This year, art was defined by the far right. Who pays? The politicians went back

to their jobs, but those of us who have been involved in making and presenting art have to live with drastic cuts in funding. DIANE ENGLISH Creator and executive producer of “Murphy Brown”

What is good taste? In my experience, as far as our show is concerned, we have had no meddling whatsoever, which is a very good sign. I think, though, it’s because our show has earned their

(CBS’) respect. The fact that we do shows in good taste and we treat controversial issues fairly, tended to keep them off our backs. You know, when it comes to the occasional word--we had

Colleen Dewhurst say “Luck, my ass!”--I think it’s become easier for us. We censor ourselves pretty much. We just don’t want to assault the audience and I feel that often what I watch on

television is like little kids running around as if they just learned a couple of four-letter words and want to say them all the time. We kind of save our saltier language for situations

which I think it needs it, because we deal with reporters and we do consider ourselves a sophisticated show. ANDRES SERRANO His controversial photograph, “Piss Christ,” was part of a

traveling exhibition that received NEA funds and helped instigate the furor over federal arts funding. What’s good taste? I don’t know what good taste is, but I think it has a classical,

balanced feeling to it. Who has it? A lot of rich people have bad taste and a lot of poor people have great taste, so it doesn’t have anything to do with money. I think it’s a matter of

breeding, education and a willingness to experiment with the new and the old. Who decides? I don’t think there are any arbiters of good taste. By and large, the decision remains with

individuals. MORE TO READ