Hodsoll said NEA should be wary of political backlash when funding potentially offensive art.
"What does cause a problem is what is significantly offensive to a group of people," Hodsoll said. "You can only push it so far."
Frohnmayer countered that the NEA should ignore political risks when deciding what art to support.
"Offense is a birthright in America," he said. "If we are never offended, the first amendment is not working."
Audience member Roger Falcon, a student at Tufts University's Fletcher School of Diplomacy, said the NEA should keep funding controversial forms of art.
"It's a slippery slope," Falcon said. "There are political realities, but it's important to work against limits that might be set."
Liz M. Santoro '01, another audience member, said she believes the NEA should focus only on specific types of art, even if it means ignoring popular culture.
"I don't think there's a need [to fund more popular art], " Santoro said. "It's important for the NEA to nurture and bring up the small factions of art."
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