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Some NYC artists are avoiding work about race and gender amid federal arts funding cuts
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Dec 23, 2025
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Nathalie Sayago
By
Giulia Heyward
Published Dec 23, 2025
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Some New York City artists say they’re steering away from work that centers race, immigration or gender identity, as fears grow over federal arts funding decisions being used to target or penalize politically sensitive themes.
Those concerns are mounting in the wake of changes by the Trump administration to the National Endowment for the Arts, the country’s largest public arts funder. And even though a court blocked the administration’s directive against funding work seen as promoting "gender ideology," the White House ultimately pulled funding from the agency, affecting arts organizations across the country.
In the last fiscal year alone, the NEA awarded $8.5 million to 326 groups in New York City.
But artists and advocates say the chilling effect is already underway.
“There are concerns about telling stories or identifying yourself or putting yourself out there — we’ve had people who don’t feel comfortable saying that they are immigrants,” said Lisa Gold, executive director of the Asian American Arts Alliance.
Recent actions by the Trump administration have added to those fears.
Earlier this year, the National Park Service removed transgender pride flags from its Pride Month display at the Stonewall National Monument and erased references to trans and queer people from the site’s official webpage.
The National Endowment for the Arts did not respond to Gothamist’s request for comment.
Self-censorship as a survival strategy
Gold said artists have asked her organization to remove their bios from its website, fearing doxxing or harassment. Others are nervous about being publicly listed as grant recipients.
And while Gold's group has secured private funding to keep operating after losing NEA support, she said it hasn’t eased the anxiety many artists feel.
“It’s not just at an individual level,” she said. “It feels like it’s being condoned by the very highest levels of our government. It’s extremely disheartening.”
Craig Perkins, a playwright and founder of Engage Playwright's Lab, said nine actors have turned down collaborations with him out of concern their immigration status could be jeopardized.
“I’ve had nine actors tell me, ‘I’m scared to do these plays because I might get my student visa revoked,’ or ‘Is there anything that could stop me from getting my actors’ union card?’ And that is so far away from who we are as a country,” Perkins said.
Local projects caught in the crosshairs
The NEA pulled funding from a Staten Island exhibit at Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden focused on colonialism and Indigenous communities. Jessica Baker Vodoor, Snug Harbor’s president and CEO, said the decision was a blow.
“It’s really challenging to receive a letter from the federal government that says that your work doesn’t align with the priorities of the United States government when our work is about opportunity, our community and uplifting voices across different ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds,” Vodoor said.
The show, “Entre la Coca y el Oro by Tatiana Arocha,” was eventually funded through private donations and is on display through Jan. 11.
City steps in to fill the gap (for now)
Beyond federal and private support, New York City’s Department of Cultural Affairs continues to fund more than 1,000 arts and cultural groups. In February, the agency awarded $59.3 million to 1,078 organizations through its Cultural Development Fund.
The department also has guidelines meant to uphold artistic independence and inclusion. City lawmakers are watching closely.
City Councilmember Erik Bottcher, who chairs the Council’s cultural affairs committee, said some organizations declined to testify at a recent hearing on censorship in the arts because they feared risking their funding.
“When we were planning our hearing about censorship in the arts, we heard from a number of organizations who let us know that they were very concerned about censorship,” Bottcher said. “But they would not be testifying because they were concerned about what implications there would be for their funding.”
Bottcher said he’s working with other officials to boost city funding in the next budget to make up for losses at the federal level. The Council has previously filled in gaps created by other federal rollbacks, including increasing funding for LGBTQ+ health and gender-affirming care.
“Not only are our arts organizations part of the DNA and the fabric of our city, but they’re also critical economic development generators,” Bottcher said. “They generate billions of dollars in economic development for the city every year, so allowing them to fail is out of the question.”
What’s next for arts policy in the city
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who takes office in January, has appointed an arts and culture committee as part of his transition. The group includes Bronx Hip Hop Museum founder Rocky Bucano, MoMA PS1 chief curator Ruba Katrib and Apollo Theater executive producer Kamilah Forbes.
Mamdani’s transition team did not respond to a request for comment.
Tagged
Politics
art
new york city
Giulia Heyward
Giulia Heyward is a breaking news reporter on the Day-Of desk. She previously worked at NPR, as a breaking news reporter, and the New York Times, as a reporting fellow on the national desk. Her work has also appeared in CNN, The Atlantic and Politico. Got a tip? Email [email protected] or more securely on signal at 917-715-1458.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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