Only a month into his second term, President Donald Trump has already introduced numerous pieces of legislation making harmful waves across the country. The most notable have been changes to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which have rightly been the focus of national discourse in recent weeks. However, the spotlight on those policies has taken attention away from the glaring indications of an upcoming attack on the arts in the U.S.
The first sign was the dissolution of the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. According to the New York Times, the committee was established in 1982 and served as a collection of “prominent artists, powerful allies of the president, academic and museum professionals to advise on cultural policy.” The committee was dissolved on Inauguration Day without a comment from the White House, representing a dubious shift in executive attitude toward artistic culture.
On Wednesday, it was announced the president would be taking over as Chairman of the Board of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., despite the president stating he has never attended an event at the center. His election to the position was made after the politician removed 18 Democratic appointees of the center’s board, another decision made in the shadows of national attention.
If the existing changes to the country’s artistic landscape weren’t enough, the president will likely begin his attack on education very soon, and thus his attack on budding young artists. Trump has proposed plans to dismantle the Department of Education, and the previously mentioned executive orders indicate the artistic side of education will be the first to go.
The American Academy of Arts and Science outlined the benefits of arts education in society, including “personal and professional development of citizens and, more broadly, the economic growth of social sustainability of communities.” These are just some of the factors that make arts education such an important part of society, one that must be protected during the upcoming siege.
In “Rebellion and Art,” philosopher Albert Camus characterized what makes art such a powerful force in rebellion: “Artistic creation is a demand for unity and a rejection of the world. But it rejects the world on account of what it lacks and in the name of what it sometimes is. Rebellion can be observed here in its pure state and in its original complexities. Thus art should give us a final perspective on the content of rebellion.”
It is only natural the current administration is looking to silence artistic voices. Art has been used as an agent of rebellion across history, from the 1913 Armory Show to the punk movement of the ‘80s to Kendrick Lamar’s revolutionary half-time performance. By trying to silence artistic voices on a national scale, Trump is showing his fear of the power of these rebellious means, which is precisely why national conversation cannot turn away from artistic communities.
Sophia Rooksberry is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Sophia know by tweeting her @sophiarooks_.
