The Art Trump Doesn't Want and the Artists Left Behind

The Art Trump Doesn't Want and the Artists Left Behind

From Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

March 28, 2026 · 50 min

About this episode

The episode explores the impact of federal grant cancellations on arts organizations and artists in the US.

Last year, arts organizations and cultural institutions across the US received an alarming message: Their federal grants had been canceled. The letters said their projects no longer aligned with new federal priorities and that money was being redirected toward the Trump administration’s agenda. The grants had funded museum exhibits, public art programs, historical research, and community arts initiatives. Angela Sutton and a team of archaeologists were in the middle of excavating a long-forgotten Black neighborhood in Nashville when she got the news: “Just got an email out of the blue saying, ‘Please stop. You're done.’” This week on Reveal , reporter Jonathan Jones travels to Nashville and beyond one year after the cancellations to meet the people living with the fallout. From musicians to visual artists, historians, and arts administrators, they’re confronting a new reality: Federal support now depends on the shifting political priorities in Washington. Some organizations are scaling back their work. Others worry artists will censor themselves just to survive. But many are fighting back. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan Jones

Topics covered

  • arts funding
  • political priorities
  • cultural institutions
  • artist support
  • community initiatives

Keywords

  • federal grants
  • arts organizations
  • Trump administration
  • censorship
  • community arts

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Center for Investigative Reporting, PRX

Places: Nashville, US

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