ARC Condemns Executive Order Undermining Smithsonian Institution’s Integrity

Administration Plans to “Restore Truth and Sanity” by Quashing Autonomy of Major Arts and Culture Complex

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

28 March 2025

(NEW YORK) – ARC raises grave concerns over the U.S. administration’s latest Executive Order (EO) which seeks to exert ideological control over the country’s largest complex of museums and cultural and educational sites, the Smithsonian Institution, citing what the White House calls “anti-American ideology.” The EO directs the Vice President to work with the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy and the Special Assistant to the President and Senior Associate Staff Secretary, the Office of Management and Budget, and Congress to effectuate the directive, defunding programs and exhibitions that “degrade shared American values.” The Vice President is also expected to, in his function as a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, oversee the removal of “divisive narratives,” a clear attempt to stifle critique and censor pluralistic and open historical discourse. ARC vehemently denounces any actions that compromise the autonomy of cultural institutions and silence diverse or independent views and historical accounts. We call on Congress, civil rights groups, and cultural leaders to rally against this EO and to uphold the Smithsonian’s indispensable role as a forum of open dialogue and debate surrounding the nation’s history. 

“This executive order is yet another devastating blow to the autonomy of American national cultural institutions and sites, especially those that take a nuanced and critical approach to painful and difficult moments in the country’s history,” said ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault. “Imposing excessive top-down control, ideological vetting, and other forms of overreach on artistic programming undermines institutional autonomy and promotes state-sanctioned censorship. These are the tactics that authoritarians use to silence artists, curators, and institutions around the world. Elected officials, civil rights groups, and cultural leaders must take urgent action to safeguard the curatorial and editorial independence of U.S. cultural institutions.”

Signed on 27 March 2025, the EO “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History” does not explicitly define what constitutes “anti-American ideology,” instead targeting exhibitions like The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture and criticizing the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum for uplifting transgender women in its collection. It also directs the Secretary of the Interior to review the removal of monuments during the Biden presidency.

The Smithsonian spans 21 museums—most of them in the nation’s capital, lining the National Mall from the U.S. Capitol Building to the Washington Monument. Among them are the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of American History, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Claiming to be “the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex,” the Smithsonian also encompasses 14 education and research centers, and the National Zoo. In the last two decades, the Smithsonian made tremendous efforts to be more inclusive and reflective of the experiences of Americans with the opening of the National Museum of the American Indian (2004), the National Museum of African American History and Culture (2016) and the Arab American National Museum (2005, an affiliate of the Smithsonian, located in Dearborn, Michigan).

The EO is the latest attempt by the new administration to assert political and ideological control over U.S. cultural policy. It follows a series of partisan actions, including changes to grant requirements for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as well as the president’s self-appointment as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. ARC condemned these developments in a joint statement with PEN America and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), as well as attempts to “eliminate to the maximum extent” the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the country’s only agency dedicated to supporting museums and other crucial community spaces. 

About ARC
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) is an international organization committed to promoting and advancing the right to artistic freedom worldwide. Founded in 2017, ARC works to protect artists and cultural workers who are at risk because of their creative expression, often connected to their identities or roles within their communities. By providing vital resources and support, ARC helps artists at risk overcome challenges like persecution, censorship, threats, and violence from both state and non-state actors—whether for their artistic expression or the broader impact they have on cultural, social, and political issues.

For press inquiries, please contact:

Julie Trébault
Executive Director
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC)
+1 646.860.5446