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Art Museum of Americas cancels shows of Black, LGBTQ artists following Trump orders
Hat tip, Joe.My.God.
Art Museum of Americas cancels shows of Black, LGBTQ artists following Trump orders
Participants said the museum, run by the Organization of American States, shut down two upcoming exhibitions featuring major American and international artists.
February 26, 2025 at 2:37 p.m. EST
The Organization of American States (OAS) building in Washington, D.C., in February. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
By Kriston Capps
The Art Museum of the Americas, a cultural venue run by the Organization of American States that is steps from the White House and the National Mall, has canceled two upcoming shows, one featuring Black artists from across the Western Hemisphere and the other showcasing queer artists from Canada. According to participants in those shows, museum officials canceled the exhibitions to comply with Trump administration orders to stamp out federal funding for “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts.
Cheryl D. Edwards, the curator for the survey of Black artists that had been slated to open on March 21, said the decision follows executive orders from the Trump administration to eliminate federal funding for diversity initiatives. She said she received a call on Feb. 6 from Adriana Ospina, the director of the D.C. museum, notifying her that the institution had been forced to call off the exhibition. ... “‘I have been instructed to call you and tell you that the museum [show] is terminated,’” Edwards says, recalling the message from Ospina. “Nobody uses that word in art — terminated.”
The Art Museum of the Americas receives its funding from the OAS, an international organization that draws support from its more than 30 member countries, above all from the United States. (Ospina declined to comment. The OAS did not return a request for comment.) {snip} The only reason Edwards was given for the show’s cancellation, she says: “Because it is DEI.” The president and conservative lawmakers have used the term as a catchall pejorative for efforts aimed at addressing social inequalities.
{snip}
The museum’s order to cancel the exhibitions follows other effects of the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government and large portions of the private sector. The National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian closed offices that focus on supporting racial minorities within those institutions and diversifying their collections and reassigned staffers who worked in them. On Tuesday, a military spokesperson confirmed the U.S. Marine Band canceled a collaboration with young musicians of color, following Trump’s orders.
{snip}
Participants said the museum, run by the Organization of American States, shut down two upcoming exhibitions featuring major American and international artists.
February 26, 2025 at 2:37 p.m. EST
The Organization of American States (OAS) building in Washington, D.C., in February. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)
By Kriston Capps
The Art Museum of the Americas, a cultural venue run by the Organization of American States that is steps from the White House and the National Mall, has canceled two upcoming shows, one featuring Black artists from across the Western Hemisphere and the other showcasing queer artists from Canada. According to participants in those shows, museum officials canceled the exhibitions to comply with Trump administration orders to stamp out federal funding for “diversity, equity and inclusion” efforts.
Cheryl D. Edwards, the curator for the survey of Black artists that had been slated to open on March 21, said the decision follows executive orders from the Trump administration to eliminate federal funding for diversity initiatives. She said she received a call on Feb. 6 from Adriana Ospina, the director of the D.C. museum, notifying her that the institution had been forced to call off the exhibition. ... “‘I have been instructed to call you and tell you that the museum [show] is terminated,’” Edwards says, recalling the message from Ospina. “Nobody uses that word in art — terminated.”
The Art Museum of the Americas receives its funding from the OAS, an international organization that draws support from its more than 30 member countries, above all from the United States. (Ospina declined to comment. The OAS did not return a request for comment.) {snip} The only reason Edwards was given for the show’s cancellation, she says: “Because it is DEI.” The president and conservative lawmakers have used the term as a catchall pejorative for efforts aimed at addressing social inequalities.
{snip}
The museum’s order to cancel the exhibitions follows other effects of the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across the federal government and large portions of the private sector. The National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian closed offices that focus on supporting racial minorities within those institutions and diversifying their collections and reassigned staffers who worked in them. On Tuesday, a military spokesperson confirmed the U.S. Marine Band canceled a collaboration with young musicians of color, following Trump’s orders.
{snip}
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