What Threats are There to Activist Artists and Cultural Organizers & What Can You Do About Them?

Today on our weather report, we're wading into stormy waters, namely threats to activist artists and arts organizations coming not from creeps and trolls on the Internet, but from our own government.

So this week we're focusing on what's happening to creative change agents out there and on what might be coming.

Yep, we're talking about funding being yanked, but also loyalty style clauses slipped into grants and organizations being told to sit down and shut up or else. Over the next 20 minutes or so, we'll take a quick walk through

• What's already taking place,
• What might be coming
• And what we can do about it.
• We'll also share how some organizations and programs are stepping up to defend the field.

ART IS CHANGE – Notable Mentions

People

• Donald Trump — Referenced in connection with executive actions affecting nonprofits and federal cultural agencies.
• Stephen Miller — Quoted regarding the administration's framing of political conflict and nonprofit organizations.
• George Soros — Philanthropist referenced in discussions of nonprofit funding.
• Reid Hoffman — Philanthropist referenced in discussions of nonprofit funding.
• Judy Munson — Composer and sound designer for ART IS CHANGE.

Organizations & Initiatives

• Center for the Study of Art & Community — Producer of ART IS CHANGE.
• National Endowment for the Arts — Federal agency supporting the arts.
• National Endowment for the Humanities — Federal humanities agency.
• Rhode Island Latino Arts — Arts organization challenging NEA grant restrictions.
• National Queer Theater — Plaintiff in litigation challenging NEA grant restrictions.
• New Mexico Arts — State arts agency.
• Ford Foundation — Independent philanthropic foundation.
• Open Society Foundations — Global philanthropy supporting democracy and justice.
• MacArthur Foundation — Philanthropic foundation supporting creative people and institutions.
• Schmidt Family Foundation — Foundation supporting environmental resilience and communities.
• Institute of Museum and Library Services — Federal agency supporting museums and libraries.
• Smithsonian Institution — National museum and r