Pepperdine University, a private Christian university in Malibu, abruptly closed the exhibition "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art six months early after school administrators removed or altered artworks deemed "political." The show, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, featured works centered on hands as symbols of labor and identity. At least a dozen artists requested to withdraw after the university turned off Elana Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2025" (2025), which documented performances including a 2017 May Day March in Los Angeles with chants supporting immigrants and opposing racism. Administrators also turned a fabric swatch reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE" on a collaborative sculpture by Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS) so the text was hidden, and removed a sign inviting visitors to touch the work.
This incident matters because it highlights escalating censorship pressures on arts institutions, particularly those tied to religious or conservative administrations, amid a broader federal crackdown on nonprofit organizations perceived as politically aligned against the Trump administration. The artists' protest and the exhibition's premature closure underscore tensions between institutional policies and artistic freedom, raising questions about how universities balance their values with open discourse. The case also reflects a growing trend of self-censorship and withdrawal by artists when their work is altered without consent, potentially chilling future collaborations between artists and academic museums.