Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News v. 11 n. 2, February 2025

Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News support the committee's mission to monitor governmental activities and social justice issues affecting the professional interests of ARLIS/NA and to keep the ARLIS/NA membership informed. The monthly alerts are intended to be conversation starters, help members keep up on public policy issues and alert members to new developments. The articles compiled in the News Alerts bring to the forefront recent news from a range of perspectives designed to elicit discussion; they are not compiled to represent the views of ARLIS as an organization or the members of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee.

Previous issues can be found here: https://www.arlisna.org/news/appc-news-alert 

Special News Alert: Trump Administration and Cultural Heritage

National Endowment for the Arts grant requirements regarding DEI

• Farfan, Isa. “Hundreds of Artists Ask NEA to Stop Enforcing Trump’s Anti-DEI Mandates.” Hyperallergic, February 18, 2025. 

• Farfan, Isa. “NEA Throws Out Grant Program for Underserved Communities.” Hyperallergic, February 6, 2025.Paulson, Michael. “Hundreds of Artists Call on N.E.A. to Roll Back Trump’s Restrictions.” The New York Times, February 18, 2025.

• Paulson, Michael. “The N.E.A.’s New Gender and Diversity Edicts Worry Arts Groups.” The New York Times, February 12, 2025.

• Paulson, Michael. “Theaters Sue the N.E.A. Over Trump’s ‘Gender Ideology’ Order.” The New York Times, March 6, 2025.

• Schuessler, Jennifer. “Arts Endowment Cuts Grants Dedicated to Underserved Communities.” The New York Times, February 7, 2025.

• Solomon, Tessa. “Artists Protest New Anti-Diversity Policy at National Endowment for the Arts.” ARTnews.com, February 19, 2025.

Kennedy Center

• Blair, Elizabeth. “As Trump Takes over Leadership at Kennedy Center, Some Protest through Dance.” NPR, February 18, 2025.

• Hernández, Javier C., Robin Pogrebin, and Derrick Bryson Taylor. “Rhiannon Giddens Is Latest to Cancel at Kennedy Center After Trump’s Takeover.” The New York Times, March 8, 2025.

• Paulson, Michael. “‘Hamilton’ Cancels Kennedy Center Run Over Trump’s Takeover.” The New York Times, March 5, 2025.

• Pogrebin, Robin, and Javier C. Hernández. “At Kennedy Center, Trump Inherits a Tough Job: Fund-Raising.” The New York Times, February 19, 2025.

• Wiggins, Christopher. “Hundreds Protest Trump’s Kennedy Center Hostile Takeover.” The Advocate, February 14, 2025.

Cultural heritage cancellations and censorship

• Farfan, Isa. “Art Museum of the Americas Cancels Second Show Amid Trump’s DEI Crackdown.” Hyperallergic, February 27, 2025.

• Pontone, Maya. “Trans Rights Groups Protest Scrubbed Stonewall Monument Website.” Hyperallergic, February 18, 2025.

• Schuessler, Jennifer. “Amid Changes at the National Archives, the Carter Library Cancels a Civil Rights Book Event.” The New York Times, February 22, 2025.

• Villa, Angelica. “References to Transgender Activists Removed from Stonewall Monument Webpage by National Agency.” ARTnews.com, February 14, 2025.

• Wiggins, Christopher. “DC Museum Pulls LGBTQ+ & Black Artists after Trump DEI Order.” The Advocate, February 27, 2025.

Miscellaneous

• Cassady, Daniel. “Stonewall National Museum Says Its Financial Future Is Shaky.” ARTnews.com, February 28, 2025.

• Nayyar, Rhea. “Trump Disbands President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities.” Hyperallergic, February 3, 2025.

• Pontone, Maya. “Trump’s Funding Freeze Leaves Ukrainian Cultural Heritage in Limbo.” Hyperallergic, February 27, 2025.

• Price, Gary. “Roundup: Statements and Coverage Re: NIH Funding Cuts.” Library Journal, February 8, 2025.

• Simon, Ed. “Donald Trump Brings Back ‘Degenerate Art.’” Hyperallergic, February 20, 2025.

• Thompson, Elizabeth. “Canadian residents are racing to save the data in Trump's crosshairs.” CBC, February 13, 2025.

Art & Activism

• Burnett, Victoria. “Restored Anti-Fascism Mural by Philip Guston Unveiled in Mexico.” The New York Times, February 1, 2025.

• Nayyar, Rhea. “Massive ‘Free Luigi’ Image Projected on Manhattan Building.” Hyperallergic, February 21, 2025.

• Nayyar, Rhea. “The Street Artist Behind the Viral ‘Anti-Elon Musk’ Ads.” Hyperallergic, February 24, 2025.

• Ragbir, Lise. “Notes From a Post-DEI Art World.” Hyperallergic, February 25, 2025.

Funding

• Clark, Laura. “Outlook on Federal Funding Threats to Libraries.” American Libraries, February 26, 2025.

• Gelt, Jessica. “$14.3 million in fire relief grants roll out to artists thanks to Getty-led museum fund.” Los Angeles Times, February 25, 2025.

• Obradovich, Kathie. “Bill would strip state funds from public libraries based on association membership.” Iowa Capital Dispatch, February 24, 2025.

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access (IDEA)

• Cieslik, Emma. “It’s Time for Museums to Step Up for Queer and Trans People.” Hyperallergic, February 26, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Is Turning 100.” Hyperallergic, February 4, 2025.

• Flores, Shari, and The Vilcek Foundation. “Vilcek Foundation Doubles Prizes in the Arts, Honors Immigrant Curators.” Hyperallergic, February 10, 2025.

• Pontone, Maya. “US Holocaust Memorial Museum Board Member Calls Gazans ‘Fundamentally Evil.’” Hyperallergic, February 3, 2025.

• Tracy, Marc. “Disney to Diminish Content Warnings Shown Before Classic Films.” The New York Times, February 12, 2025.

Intellectual Freedom/Access to Information

• Aton, Francesca. “Civil Liberty Organizations Demand That Police Return Controversial Sally Mann Photographs.” ARTnews.com, February 20, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “Is Female Anatomy Too ‘Controversial’ for the American Quilter’s Society?” Hyperallergic, February 11, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “Southern Poverty Law Center Backs Removal of For Freedoms Billboard.” Hyperallergic, February 3, 2025.

• Greenberger, Alex. “Documenta Adopts Divisive Antisemitism Definition in New Code of Conduct.” ARTnews.Ccm, February 6, 2025.

• NCAC Comms. “NCAC Alarmed by Mayoral Order to Censor an Art Billboard Associated With Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.” National Coalition Against Censorship (blog). February 3, 2025.

• Villa, Angelica. “Fareed Armaly Rejects Käthe Kollwitz Prize Citing Censorship in Germany.” ARTnews.com, February 7, 2025. 

Technology and Digital Privacy

• Brodkin, Jon. “FTC Investigates ‘Tech Censorship,’ Says It’s Un-American and May Be Illegal.” Ars Technica, February 20, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “AI Art With Human ‘Expressive Elements’ Can Be Copyrighted.” Hyperallergic, February 3, 2025.

• Kuta, Sarah. “The Getty Museum Acquires Its First A.I.-Generated Artwork." Smithsonian Magazine, February 21, 2025.

• Porterfield, Carlie. “Thousands Call on Christie’s to Cancel AI Art Auction." CNN.com, February 11, 2025.

• Shepelavy, Roxanne Patel. “Policy Map Is Where To Find Trump’s Disappeared Data.” The Philadelphia Citizen. February 7, 2025.

Workplace

• Cassady, Daniel. “The Guggenheim Tightens Its Belt Again, Laying Off 20 Staffers.” ARTnews.com, February 28, 2025. 

• Mondros, Sam. “Bay Area Museum Workers Turn to Unions as Institutions Struggle.” The San Francisco Standard, February 25, 2025. 

• Solomon, Tessa. “Brooklyn Museum, Facing $10 M. Budget Deficit, to Lay Off 40 Employees.” ARTnews.com, February 7, 2025. 

Miscellaneous

• Farfan, Isa. “Elizabeth Street Garden Sues NYC Amid Eviction Battle.” Hyperallergic, February 25, 2025.

• Pontone, Maya. “Former Ringling Trustees Decry ‘Catastrophic’ Proposal to Transfer Museum.” Hyperallergic, February 26, 2025.

This issue of News Alerts was compiled by Michele Jennings, Stephanie Kays, Torie Quiñonez, and Annie Sollinger.