WASHINGTON, DC.- Visual artist Barbara Ernst Prey has been confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The confirmation follows her nomination by President George W. Bush to serve on this advisory body to the Arts Endowment.

"Barbara Prey’s nomination continues our tradition of having prominent visual artists as members of the National Council on the Arts," said NEA Chairman Dana Gioia. "We welcome her participation and counsel."

A visual artist who specializes in watercolor, Barbara Prey’s work is included in the collections of the Brooklyn Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as the White House. As an artist chosen to participate in the United States Arts in Embassies Program, her painting God and Country is on exhibit at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and Reunion at Dusk was recently shown at the U.S. Embassy in Prague. Additional works are on exhibit at U.S. embassies and consulates in Seoul, Baghdad, Abu Dhabi, Bogota, Mexico City, Athens, Cairo, and Rangoon. Recently, Prey was commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to paint four paintings for their collection.

Prey earned her undergraduate degree in art history from Williams College and her master’s degree from Harvard University. She was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship and a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, enabling her to travel, study, work and exhibit extensively in Europe and Asia. The New York State Senate has honored Prey with its Women of Distinction Award.

The National Council on the Arts advises the NEA Chairman on programs and policies. Council members review and make recommendations to the Chairman on grant applications, funding program guidelines, and national initiatives. Members are chosen for their widely recognized knowledge of the arts, their expertise or profound interest in the arts, and their established record of distinguished service or achievement in the arts. The council consists of 14 private citizens and six ex officio Members of Congress.

Prey was confirmed to serve a full six-year term until 2014. She will replace outgoing council member Mark Hofflund, managing director of the Idaho Shakespeare Festival.