Global familiarity with American popular culture has led to some widely held misconceptions about American cultural values and the U.S.’s unique cultural policy system. These notions include: Myth 1: The absence of a cultural ministry indicates that the United States does not value culture and does not take it seriously. Myth 2: The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is the de facto Ministry of Culture. Myth 3: The United States does not have national cultural policies. Myth 4: Private and foundation investments in arts and culture are the prime source of income for the arts and cultural sector and are more than a sufficient source of support. Myth 5: Exported cultural products represent American cultural values and international cultural policy priorities. Cultural Policy 101 looks at how these myths represent misunderstandings about how the national, regional, local, and private sector participate in the American cultural ecosystem as well as how the United States hopes to position itself internationally.

http://www.culturescope.ca/ev_en.php?ID=12531_201&ID2=DO_TOPIC