I got the email last week: the National Endowment for the Arts is canceling its funding for art in underfunded communities. I was dismayed and outraged. In fact, they’re stopping most of their arts grants.
All except for projects that celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. WTF?
This laughably limited scope dismayed me further – until I went back and read the Declaration of Independence. It is a document created out of dismay and outrage, and highly relevant to Americans in 2025. Those Founding Fathers weren’t just listing their grievances, they were articulating how the king’s actions opposed basic human rights.
They were cultivating a culture of dissent, which enabled their fellow citizens to see themselves as united dissenters intent on creating a country based on true equality and justice.
So, I started to envision all of the art projects that could be proposed to the NEA for their Declaration of Independence funding.
- Projects that honor the document and its sentiments with that Declaration level of cheekiness, outrage, and calls to action.
- Projects that clarify how the specific unlawful actions of the powerful undermine the values that connect all of us.
- Projects that, like the Declaration, point the way towards how we can take this country back, together.
Someone in the administration must have been thinking the same thing, because the NEA then issued a statement saying that grantees can’t be operating any programs that promote “diversity, equity, inclusion” or “gender ideology.” They use a lot of language about “heritage” and “national pride.”
However, they haven’t won this culture war.
Here at the Center, we know victory is possible. We’ve worked with people who’ve taken on rampant corruption, defied authoritarian regimes, and created real, lasting change—against all odds.
So if you’re ready to create art that channels the revolutionary spirit of the Declaration of Independence—NEA or no NEA—let’s talk it out. We can lend some experienced advice. Making the impossible possible is what we do.
Also, please support the arts projects you love that are losing funding because of the NEA and other federal grant changes. Speaking of county fairs, one that I love and am supporting is JUST CRUSHING: A Political Demolition Derby. The project is helping Iowa teens create demolition derby cars about social issues that matter to them, like LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and freedom of speech. Their cars will battle it out in a winner-takes-all competition at an Iowa county fair in the heart of the country. I love projects that bring pressing issues to popular public spaces in new ways! Also, smashing things feels like it would be pretty cathartic right now. You can support the smashing too.
We’re sending lots of love and solidarity to all of you right now!
Rebecca
Center for Artistic Activism
Image credit: JUST CRUSHING: A Political Demolition Derby
