A private Christian university in Malibu has abruptly closed an art exhibition six months ahead of schedule after removing or altering artworks deemed "political" by administrators, prompting more than a dozen artists to withdraw their works in protest. The closure of "Hold My Hand in Yours" at Pepperdine University's Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art has sparked debate about artistic freedom and censorship in academic settings.
The exhibition, which opened on September 6 and was originally scheduled to run until March 29, featured artwork centered around hands as symbols of labor, identity, care, and connection. The controversy began on October 1 when museum director Andrea Gyorody informed artist Elana Mann that her video piece "Call to Arms 2015-2025" had been turned off at the university's request. The video documented performances using sculptural instruments made from arm casts, including footage from the 2017 May Day March in Los Angeles where participants chanted phrases like "No Justice, No Peace" and "Immigrants are Welcome Here."
School administrators also took issue with a collaborative sculpture by the group Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS) titled "Con Nuestros Manos Construimos Deidades" (With Our Hands We Build Deities). Officials turned a fabric embroidery reading "Save the Children and Abolish ICE" so the text was no longer visible and removed signage allowing visitors to touch the artwork. The piece was created through workshops in Tijuana, San Diego, and Los Angeles, involving over 240 participants who made hand casts and sewed protective message patches resembling Christian scapulars.
"This was made in community across borders, with the idea that you can touch the hand of the person on the other side of the border," said Natalie Godinez, executive director of AMBOS. "By censoring a piece of the artwork and not allowing people to interact with it, it waters down the meaning." Both Mann and AMBOS requested their works be withdrawn after the alterations, though Pepperdine administration provided no explanation for their decisions to the artists.
When contacted by media, university spokesperson Michael Friel cited political content as the reason for removal. "Because Pepperdine's established practice with the Weisman Museum has been to avoid overtly political content consistent with the University's nonprofit status, it removed these two pieces from display," Friel stated. The incident occurs amid broader federal attacks on nonprofit organizations, including President Trump's September 25 memorandum "Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence," which advocacy groups warn could be used to silence dissent.
The initial censorship sparked a wave of solidarity among other participating artists. Carmen Argote wrote in her withdrawal letter that the censorship "signals that the gallery, under current conditions, can no longer function as a place for art." Artist Cara Levine defended Mann's work as "overtly egalitarian" and focused on free speech rights rather than specific political positions. Stephanie Syjuco, who requested removal of her video "Block Out the Sun," called the alterations "alarming" and particularly inappropriate "in a university context that is supposed to foster teaching and learning."
Faced with multiple artist withdrawals, Pepperdine decided to close the entire exhibition on October 8. For Mann, who had never experienced artwork removal after an exhibition opening, the incident came as a complete surprise but reflected broader national attacks on arts and culture. "The work began during a very specific cycle of politics that is now reaching its apex," Mann observed, connecting her experience to the wider climate of cultural censorship occurring across the United States.
