Initially, 275 people working in the art and culture sector have signed the appeal together with representatives from 150 art organizations. Among the latter are, for example, Alabama Arts Association and the Alliance of American Museums, which gathers the museums in the USA.
Response to threats
The initiators are the organizations National Coalition Against Censorship, NCAC, and Vera List Center for Art and Politics. In May, they gathered a number of cultural leaders in the USA to develop strategies in response to the threats they perceive against artistic freedom.
"To adapt programs in a preventive manner to appease potential government censors will undermine the integrity of our cultural institutions and the field's independence”, says Elizabeth Larison at NCAC in a statement.
Government-funded Smithsonian in Washington is currently being reviewed by the Trump administration. In July, the artist Amy Sherald announced that she is canceling her fall exhibition "American sublime" at the National Portrait Gallery, one of eight museums under the Smithsonian's umbrella. Sherald, an art star after her portrait of Michelle Obama, would have been the first black contemporary artist to exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery according to NY Times.
Trans woman
When she found out that the museum was considering not showing her trans version of the Statue of Liberty – because it could offend Donald Trump – she withdrew the entire exhibition. Those responsible at Smithsonian regretted her decision.
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