Art Under Duress: DEAI Strategies for Teaching and Exhibiting Art under Governmental and Institutional Censorship

The United States has witnessed unprecedented attacks on academic freedom in the past year, directly impacting art exhibitions and classroom curricula. Bans on Critical Race Theory (CRT) are underway in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, with at least sixteen other states considering similar legislation. Eight states have passed anti-LGBTQ curricular laws: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas. These attacks on freedom of expression are not limited to the extreme right, as attacks from the left are also being observed. For instance, Hamline University dismissed a well-regarded contingent art historian for showing historically important depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, and the Art Institute of Chicago has received criticism for "straight-washing" the queerness of Felix Gonzalez Torres's work, along with several other institutions that downplay identity politics in explicitly political work.

This panel invites papers that analyze these programs of governmental and institutional censorship. Contributions from art historians, artists, designers, lawyers, and freedom of speech activists are welcome. We are seeking papers that offer strategies to maintain crucial conversations and advance visibility of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusivity initiatives in our schools, museums, and cultural institutions.