"As artists continue to feel the impacts of grant withdrawals and exhibition cancellations under the Trump administration, New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher held an oversight hearing on alleged censorship in the arts sector on Thursday, November 20. The hearing featured testimony from artists and cultural leaders, including New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo; Asian American Arts Alliance Executive Director Lisa Gold; and Elizabeth Larison, director of the Arts and Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship."
""This is not subtle. This is coordinated," Bottcher said at the start of the hearing, referring to funding cuts from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). "It's a national attempt to control what people see, what they learn, and whose stories get told.""
New York City Councilmember Erik Bottcher held an oversight hearing on alleged censorship in the arts on November 20. Artists and cultural leaders including DCLA Commissioner Laurie Cumbo, Lisa Gold, and Elizabeth Larison testified about grant withdrawals, exhibition cancellations, and federal attempts to restrict content. Witnesses cited abrupt mass terminations of arts grants and warned of self-censorship and a chilling effect on free expression among institutions and artists. The NEA moved to prohibit applicants from promoting what it called "gender ideology," a measure a federal court later found unconstitutional. Cumbo stated that the DCLA's Cultural Development Fund does not consider content in grant decisions. Bottcher framed the funding cuts as coordinated attempts to control whose stories are told and suggested City Council support for local arts organizations.
Read at Hyperallergic
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