Canceling NEA grants won’t stop artists from holding to their truths
German Federal Archives / Wikimedia Commons
German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl with a cameraman during filming of “Olympia” in 1936.
This essay for Transom is republished with permission.
This past week, Atlantic Public Media here in Woods Hole received a letter that begins like this:
This is to inform you that the above referenced National Endowment for the Arts award has been terminated, effective May 31, 2025. The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.
Creativity, as prioritized by the President. These are the words of dictatorship. Only a dictator would imagine that he could control the artists.
If you’re an artist, your job is to speak truth, to reveal what others cannot or will not see, to make work that addresses this moment and carries on into the future. Art reminds us of who we truly are.
No respected artist creates in service to a dictate.
American identity is built upon the notion of free expression. For generations, it has led the world with the vitality of its creative energy.
The National Endowment for the Arts affirmed the nation’s commitment to its art and artists. It has supported creative people in every state and region. It has been a crucial force on the ground, both for the work it supports, and for the positive community benefit which extends from that work.
It doesn’t stop there. Here’s the press release from the National Endowment for the Humanities, which also recently revoked grants:
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is pleased to announce a special funding opportunity to support the design and creation of statues of important American historical figures for the planned National Garden of American Heroes. First proposed by President Trump in 2020, the National Garden of American Heroes sculpture garden will feature life-size statues of 250 great individuals from America’s past ….
This mandate is about political propaganda, and the control of the American story. It is an embarrassment to our country, and an insult to its history.
No propaganda ever lives on as true art.
These government institutions have been remarkable sources of support for the arts and humanities in a country that valued the true meaning of those endeavors. And I’m convinced, even if funds are now to be pumped into trite political messaging, it won’t stop visionaries. It may even embolden them.
The absurdity of these commands leave only us one choice: To stand in opposition, hold to our truths, and keep speaking out through our work.
Dictators cannot control our hearts, our souls, our creative energy. Those belong to us.
Transom founder Jay Allison has been an independent public radio producer, journalist, and teacher since the 1970s. His work has won most of the major broadcasting awards, including six Peabodys. He produces The Moth Radio Hour and was the curator of This I Believe on NPR. Through his nonprofit organization, Atlantic Public Media, he is a founder of PRX and WCAI, the public radio service for Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
