Online Petition Asks Obama to Create Secretary of the Arts Position

Quincy Jones, the musician and record producer, recently told a radio interviewer he plans to ask President-elect Barack Obama to create the position of Secretary of the Arts. That prompted arts lovers to start an online petition asking Mr. Obama to take up that suggestion.

Almost 1,200 people have so far signed the petition, which refers to a November 15 interview with Mr. Jones on “Soundcheck,” a program produced by WNYC, a public-radio station in New York.

“My passion in life now, and one of the first conversations I’ll have with President Obama, is to beg for a Secretary of the Arts,” said Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones initially endorsed Mr. Obama’s rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton, but he released a video in support of Mr. Obama shortly before the November 4 general election.