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Exhibitions by Black and LGBTQ+ artists have been canceled at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C.
“Nobody uses that word in art — terminated,” one of the curators said.
The Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, D.C., has canceled two major exhibitions showcasing Black and LGBTQ+ artists, citing executive orders from President Donald Trump targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. The Washington Post reports that the decision comes amid a broader push to defund DEI programs across federally supported institutions.
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One canceled exhibition, “Before the Americas,” was set to open on March 21 and feature 40 works by Afro-Latino, Caribbean, and African American artists. The show, curated by Washington-based artist Cheryl D. Edwards, highlighted migration, colonialism, and the African diaspora’s cultural impact, the Post reports. Among the artists featured were Wifredo Lam, Elizabeth Catlett, and Amy Sherald, the portraitist of former First Lady Michelle Obama. EdwardstoldHyperallergic that this would have been the first time the museum displayed such a significant number of African American artists.
Related: Kennedy Center cancels Gay Men’s Chorus of D.C. WorldPride show about acceptance, group confirms
Edwards, commissioned to curate the show in 2021, told Hyperallergic that museum leadership informed her that the Trump administration had labeled the exhibition as a “DEI program and event” and withdrawn funding that the Biden administration had earmarked.
“‘I have been instructed to call you and tell you that the museum [show] is terminated,’” Edwards says Adriana Ospina, the museum’s director, told her, according to the Post. “Nobody uses that word in art — terminated.”
Internal emails reviewed by Hyperallergic confirm that the U.S. government had been the show’s primary financial sponsor before pulling its support. When Edwards offered to secure private funding, AMA refused.
A second canceled exhibition, “Nature’s Wild With Andil Gosine,” focused on queer theory and colonial law in the Caribbean. The Canadian visionary’s show featured multiple LGBTQ+ artists, including a centerpiece video installation by the late Lorraine O’Grady. Gosine told The Washington Post that he was informed of the decision on February 5 without further explanation.
These cancellations follow similar cutbacks across federally funded institutions. After Trump installed himself as chair of the Kennedy Center and installed gay loyalist Richard Grenell, his special envoy, as the institution’s executive director, the center canceled a concert in celebration of WorldPride featuring the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington.
