The Museum of Art of the Americas, a branch of the Organization of the American States (OEA), a diplomatic organization focused on human rights and democracy, located a few meters from the White House in Washington, has just canceled two exhibitions to come: one which was to present works by African-American artists and the other, Queer artists from Canada.
The reason: these exhibitions were associated with the “Diversity, equity, inclusion” program set up under the Biden administration (2021-2025). Since January, the administration of Donald Trump has abolished this program, which was aimed at promoting diversity and fighting discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation in museums under government authority.
Deprived of public funding, the Before The Americas exhibition commissioner, Cheryl D. Edwards, who had been preparing this exhibition for four years and who was to open on March 21, proposed to finance the event with private funds. But the museum refused to respect the new government instructions
“How far will this government go to silence the voices of people of color, trans and black people and queer people?” »» An anonymous artist has been alarmed whose work was to be part of the exhibition.
