us states culture funding cuts morning links 1234747960

The article reports that despite the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate federal funding for cultural agencies like the NEA, NEH, and IMLS, many US states have continued to support their arts and humanities agencies, though at reduced levels. According to the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), states and territories allocated nearly $650 million to these agencies in fiscal year 2026, a 7.4% drop from 2025. While 29 states increased arts funding, others saw significant cuts: New Hampshire reduced its arts funding by 90% due to a revenue shortfall, while California, Missouri, Kansas, and Hawaii also experienced notable reductions. Conversely, Florida, North Dakota, Connecticut, and Oregon increased their arts appropriations, helping to offset overall losses. Per capita, Minnesota leads arts funding at $7.85, while New Hampshire, Georgia, and Wisconsin allocate less than $0.20.

president trumps budget bill includes 40 m for statues at new national garden of heroes 1234746576

President Trump's proposed spending legislation, known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," includes $40 million for the procurement of statues for the National Garden of American Heroes. The funds, appropriated to the National Endowment for the Humanities for fiscal year 2025 and available through 2028, will support life-size statues of 250 historical figures, with selected artists receiving up to $200,000 per statue. The garden, first announced in a 2020 executive order, is a priority for the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and requires realistic depictions in materials like marble or bronze.

natural history museum will remove human remains from display 2381068

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City will remove human remains from its public displays over the next eight weeks and update its policies regarding the collection. The decision follows an investigation by Erin Thompson, a professor of art crime at John Jay College, whose report for Hyperallergic raised ethical and legal concerns about the acquisition of approximately 12,000 individuals' remains held by the museum. Museum president Sean Decatur announced the removal as the "right course of action," acknowledging that the remains were collected without consent and often used to advance racist scientific agendas.

mika rottenberg says trumps smithsonian situation is fucked up 1234754705

Artist Mika Rottenberg, whose work is included in an upcoming show at the Smithsonian-run Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, called the Trump administration's interference with the Smithsonian "fucked up" in a Vanity Fair article. She praised Amy Sherald for canceling a Smithsonian show, calling it "amazing." British artist Richard Long also expressed concern about the administration "strangling everything" at the institution. The article notes that many other artists with works slated for Smithsonian presentations—including Nick Cave, Paul Chan, Olafur Eliasson, Spencer Finch, and Rashid Johnson—declined to speak to Vanity Fair, reflecting a cautious environment. Dread Scott, however, has been vocal, calling for the regime to be driven from power and urging art institutions to support dissenting artists.

smithsonian drops wall text mentioning trumps double impeachment 1234769438

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery has removed wall text referencing President Trump’s two impeachments from its “America’s Presidents” exhibition after installing a new black-and-white portrait of him by White House photographer Daniel Torok. The original label noted Trump’s impeachments for abuse of power and inciting insurrection, but the revised text now identifies him only as the 45th and 47th president and his birth year. The change follows years of contention from the Trump administration, which compiled a list of complaints accusing former director Kim Sajet of political bias; Sajet resigned, and Elliot Gruber now serves as acting director.

mps to debate whether sponsorship and advertizing by fossil fuel companies should be banned in uk 1234746884

On Monday, the UK Parliament will debate whether to ban sponsorship and advertising by fossil fuel companies, following a petition with over 100,000 signatures. The petition specifically cites the £50 million partnership between BP and the British Museum, arguing that such deals allow fossil fuel giants to greenwash their reputations. While the government has no current plans to restrict fossil fuel advertising, cultural institutions like the National Portrait Gallery, Tate galleries, and Royal Opera House have already ended sponsorship deals with BP. The British Museum has defended its BP deal, with director Nicolas Cullinan stating the funding helps keep the museum free to the public.

arts panel approves trumps white house ballroom plans 1234774087

The Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) has bypassed standard review procedures to grant final approval for President Donald Trump’s proposed $400 million White House ballroom. The six-to-zero vote occurred after the President replaced the entire commission with allies earlier this year, following the controversial demolition of the White House’s East Wing to clear space for the project.

supreme court ruling advances trumps plan for mass layoffs of federal workers 1234747084

The U.S. Supreme Court lifted a lower court order that had temporarily blocked the Trump administration's plan to lay off thousands of federal workers. The initial lawsuit was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), 11 nonprofits, and local governments from states including California, Texas, and Illinois, challenging Executive Order 14210. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the sole dissenter, while liberal justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor sided with the conservative majority. The ruling allows mass firings and reorganizations at 19 federal agencies, including the State Department and Social Security Administration, to proceed, though a separate injunction protecting sub-agencies of Health and Human Services remains in place.

UK Government AI Copyright Rules Decision

uk government ai copyright rules decision 1234775962

The UK government is currently navigating a contentious legal overhaul of intellectual property laws regarding artificial intelligence and copyright. A controversial proposal that would allow AI firms like OpenAI to train models on copyrighted material without creator consent has sparked fierce backlash from artists, MPs, and the House of Lords. While a formal update is expected in mid-March, reports suggest the government may delay a final decision for another year to gather further evidence.

Trump's White House Ballroom Proposal Faces Criticism Over Scale

trumps white house ballroom proposal too big 1234775859

President Donald Trump has proposed a massive 90,000-square-foot addition to the White House, featuring a 22,000-square-foot ballroom designed to host 1,000 guests. While the administration argues the space is necessary to replace temporary tents for state functions, the project has already led to the demolition of the East Wing and sparked significant backlash from federal planning commissions and preservation groups.

US states step up to fund the arts in the wake of federal cuts

State legislatures across the US have continued to fund their arts and humanities agencies for fiscal year 2026, with aggregate spending totaling $649.2 million across 50 states and four territories—a 7.4% decrease from 2025 levels. While 29 states increased their arts funding, others saw significant cuts, including New Hampshire (90% reduction), Hawaii (74.9% drop), and Missouri (59.7% decline). The data comes from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), which notes an uncertain fiscal environment but highlights that overall state investment in the arts is being sustained despite federal pressures.

NRW will Verbot für Handel mit Holocaust-Dokumenten

The German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) is introducing a legislative bill to ban the commercial trade of personal Holocaust documents and artifacts, such as letters from concentration camps, Gestapo cards, and yellow stars. The initiative follows international outrage over a planned auction in Neuss in November 2025, which was halted at the last moment; around 460 objects from that auction were transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation. The bill, to be presented at the Bundesrat session on May 8, aims to prohibit the sale of items directly linked to Nazi victims, while exempting museums, archives, and research institutions.