Federal support for art is examined from a historical point.

In the past twenty five years or so, many states have passed legislation that mandates that 1 percent of any publicly funded building or renovation project that budgets at more than $100,000 must be set aside to buy art for the construction project. The project might be a new courthouse, or a stretch of highway, or a new wing at a research hospital, or the city's new water filtration plant, or a building at a public university, for example. (NOTE: "Publicly funded" means that government funds / tax money finances the construction project).
  
Why do  such a program of public art came into existence? A historical examination occurs.