Rebuilding arts organizations is a key component to revitalizing the decimated economies of the Gulf Coast, NEA Dana Gioia says in a story by Jacqueline Trescott in the Washington Post (9/13/05). "People have to recognize that the arts are a major industry and need to be at the table for the recovery plan," said Gioia. "There is no way for these local economies to recover unless we invest in the cultural life. Culture was Louisiana's second-biggest economy, right after oil. These organizations have suffered enormous losses." Over the weekend, the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies met in Boise, Idaho, and developed an action plan for the devastated region, according to Trescott. [LINK]