This summer, arts nonprofits across the United States received the same message from the National Endowment for the Arts: Their funding would be unceremoniously terminated, effective May 31st. In the letter, the NEA explicitly stated that it intended to fund “projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.” Entities that received the notice were told their funding did not align with those priorities, but that they could appeal the decision.
The effects of those decisions, made in Washington, D.C., are acutely felt in Miami. Local arts nonprofits use NEA funding to provide artists opportunities through residencies, exhibitions, and research, without excessive oversight and control. Public funding allows organizations wiggle room to put on less commercial exhibitions, often touching on subject areas that may be deemed taboo or politically charged, without the threat of censorship from wealthy donors and stakeholders.
Leyden Rodriguez-Casanova, cofounder of Dimensions Variable, a local artist studio, exhibition space, and arts institution founded in Miami in 2009, says the privatization of arts organizations is “running rampant.” He explains that “government funding, whether it’s city, county, state, or [federal], helps to support wider ranges of what you can produce.”
