Should art be 鈥榩atriotic鈥�? Artist pulls her Smithsonian show, citing censorship.
| Washington
When Amy Sherald, the artist who painted Michelle Obama鈥檚 official portrait, withdrew her solo show from the National Portrait Gallery on July 24 citing censorship, it sent ripples through the art community.
The decision, by a high-profile artist, came as the Trump administration has railed against 鈥渨okeness鈥� in federally funded museums and cut funding for local cultural institutions across the country, putting artists and their work in the spotlight.
Ms. Sherald said she was told there were discussions about removing one of her pieces from the exhibition 鈥� a painting that depicts a transgender woman as the Statue of Liberty. According to a statement obtained by the New York Times, Ms. Sherald said the Smithsonian had proposed replacing the piece with a video of people discussing it, which she says would have 鈥渙pened up for debate the value of trans visibility.鈥�
Why We Wrote This
Amy Sherald鈥檚 decision to pull her show from the National Portrait Gallery comes as the Trump administration has criticized DEI and 鈥渋mproper ideology鈥� in museums. She is among artists who say their vision cannot be compromised without undermining the purpose of their art.
The Smithsonian Institution says the video was intended to contextualize the piece, not replace it.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order claiming the Smithsonian Institution has been influenced by 鈥渄ivisive, race-centered ideology,鈥� and directing Vice President JD Vance to work to stop funding for programs that expressed 鈥渋mproper ideology.鈥� Mr. Vance sits on the Smithsonian鈥檚 17-member Board of Regents, and does not have sole decisionmaking authority.
About two months later, in May, Mr. Trump announced that he had fired the director of the Smithsonian鈥檚 National Portrait Gallery, Kim Sajet, calling her 鈥渁 strong supporter of DEI.鈥� The Smithsonian released a 聽in June reiterating its independence over hiring decisions. However, Ms. Sajet stepped down shortly after.
鈥淲e鈥檙e facing an administration that clearly wants to redefine the arts landscape,鈥� says Dexter Wimberly, an art curator and senior critic at New York Academy of Art. 鈥淚f artists don鈥檛 stand firm on what they believe in, then it begins to undermine the very purpose of the work that they鈥檙e doing.鈥�
In addition to targeting federal museums, the Trump administration has been halting funds for arts and humanities programs across the United States. The president鈥檚 budget request for fiscal 2026 proposes eliminating programs, including the National Endowment for the Arts, that fund local museums, libraries, and arts organizations. Meanwhile, the Washington Post that references to Mr. Trump鈥檚 two impeachments have been removed from the National Museum of American History. After the Post鈥檚 story was published, the Smithsonian said 鈥渁 future and updated exhibit will include all impeachments.鈥�
The 2026 budget has not yet been approved, but many cultural centers have already seen grants canceled. Mr. Wimberly says he has worked with organizations whose operations are now threatened from lack of funds.
Many conservatives have long argued that government spending on arts is misguided. The libertarian-leaning Cato Institute published an this past spring arguing that private philanthropy makes the NEA unnecessary, and that taxpayers shouldn鈥檛 be forced to fund art they might find offensive.
Cathy, a Trump supporter visiting the Portrait Gallery over the weekend who preferred not to give her last name, felt unsure about the president's executive order. 鈥淭hat could be a little too close to censorship,鈥� she said.
However, she thinks exhibiting Ms. Sherald鈥檚 painting would have been inappropriate and cause division.
鈥淲hy confuse things?鈥� she asks. 鈥淚 think Americans should be unified and agree on more than they disagree.鈥�
鈥淎n expression of her resistance鈥�
Ms. Sherald鈥檚 decision to cancel her Smithsonian exhibit is reminiscent of decisions within the realm of arts and humanities to use expression as a form of resistance.
Ken Grossinger, the author of 鈥淎rt Works: How Organizers and Artists Are Creating a Better World Together,鈥� believes the idea of art as resistance provides 鈥渁n alternative voice to authoritarian narratives.鈥�
鈥淭he Statue of Liberty, welcoming all comers, embodies an inclusive narrative. Amy Sherald expresses this by painting it as a transgender figure,鈥� Mr. Grossinger said in an email. 鈥淐ensoring her painting, if that is what the Smithsonian intended, expresses the opposite narrative, that trans people are not worthy of inclusion in America. [Her] decision to remove her exhibition ... is an expression of her resistance to controlling her views.鈥�
In a for the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mr. Grossinger offered nine lessons for fighting authoritarianism using art, which included acceptance of creatives.
鈥淎rtists and organizers who collaborate with one another have great capacity to effect change,鈥� Mr. Grossinger noted. 鈥淐ommunity and labor organizations can mobilize and exercise their power, and by working with artists they can creatively shift authoritarian narratives that constrain our actions.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to panic鈥�
There have been varying results for artists and organizations who are dealing with lost funding and pushback on their ideals. The Washington Post recently published an article about the in New Orleans, which lost 40% of its operating budget due to the loss of four federal grants. In response, Executive Director Kathe Hambrick launched a million-dollar fundraising campaign.
鈥淲e鈥檙e just slowing down, but we鈥檙e not going anywhere,鈥� Ms. Hambrick said in the article.
Ty Jones, the producing artistic director at the Classical Theatre of Harlem, and a former actor on 50 Cent鈥檚 popular crime drama, 鈥淧ower,鈥� is all too familiar with that dynamic.
Two months ago, CTH announced that it would 聽because of cuts in funding from the NEA.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to panic, so we鈥檒l strategize, we鈥檒l mobilize, and we will execute,鈥� Mr. Jones said at the time.
On Sunday, after CTH finished its three-week run of 鈥淢emnon,鈥� the story of the Ethiopian king and demigod who defends Troy during wartime, Mr. Jones took the stage.
鈥淵ou all heard about the NEA terminated our grant of $60,000? 鈥� Nothing to worry about,鈥� Mr. Jones posted in a video to his Instagram story on July 27. 鈥淲ithin one week, the community spoke up and we had a thousand donations that averaged anywhere between $60 and $80. We more than covered the gap.鈥�
鈥淚t shows that the power of the people is always stronger than the people in power.鈥�
