The Department of Homeland Security under Donald Trump's second term has been using social media to post artworks like John Gast's 1872 painting 'American Progress,' which allegorizes Manifest Destiny by depicting Native Americans being forced out. The Thomas Kinkade Foundation is considering legal action over unauthorized use of Kinkade's work. Separately, a course titled 'Generative AI for Artists' at the University of New South Wales in Australia has sparked student protests, with over 7,000 signatures on a petition demanding its cancellation. Meanwhile, arts organizations in New South Wales received $15.4 million in state funding, and a dust storm at Burning Man destroyed Oleskiy Sai's inflatable sculpture 'Black Cloud (2025).'
These stories matter because they highlight ongoing tensions at the intersection of art, politics, and technology. The DHS's use of a historically problematic painting raises questions about how government institutions deploy art to shape national narratives. The AI art course controversy reflects broader debates about the role of generative AI in creative education, while the funding boost for regional galleries underscores the fragility of arts infrastructure. The destruction of a Ukrainian artist's work at Burning Man also points to the resilience of art amid war and natural disaster.