A coalition of leading American artists, writers, and cultural figures is mobilizing the nation's arts community for a coordinated weekend of creative protests against what they describe as escalating authoritarianism under the Trump administration. The initiative, spearheaded by visual artist Dread Scott, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, and dozens of other prominent cultural luminaries, aims to unite creative voices across the country in opposition to perceived threats to artistic freedom and democratic values.
The protest movement, titled "Fall of Freedom," is scheduled to take place from November 21-22 and is being organized as a series of independently coordinated actions united by a shared commitment to resisting fascism. According to the organizers' mission statement, the nationwide campaign encourages participation from cultural institutions of all sizes, from major museums to small community centers, emphasizing that no effort is considered too big or too small in this collective resistance.
Organizers have deliberately provided flexible guidelines for participation, suggesting that events can be held at museums, classrooms, galleries, comedy clubs, or anywhere communities naturally gather. The website outlines various forms of creative activism, including storefront readings, pop-up performances, exhibitions highlighting banned books, workshops on censorship, and silk-screening activities. The campaign specifically aims to celebrate the diverse experiences, cultures, and identities that organizers believe form the foundation of American society.
Several major cultural institutions have already committed to participating in the weekend of resistance. The Institute of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles will host a "Wear Your Rights" silk-screening workshop on November 21, while New York's Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art plans to transform one of its galleries into a comprehensive library featuring books that document the ongoing role of queer art activism in combating censorship and discrimination.
The participant list reads like a who's who of contemporary American culture, including visual artists Marilyn Minter and Robert Longo, musicians Daniel Bejar (frontman of the band Destroyer) and Amanda Palmer, acclaimed filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Michael Moore, and curator Laura Raicovich. Raicovich notably resigned from her position as director of the Queens Museum in 2018, citing problematic events that emerged following Trump's initial election victory.
The organizing effort comes in response to what participants describe as unprecedented government intervention in cultural institutions across the United States. The Trump administration has repeatedly interfered with the operations of prominent cultural organizations, explicitly stating its intention to realign their programming with the political values of the Republican Party. Most notably, the administration has demanded comprehensive oversight of the Smithsonian Institution, including the authority to make direct changes to museum programming.
White House officials have justified these interventions by claiming that current institutional programming has strayed too far from celebrating "the greatness of our nation" and fails to adequately honor "the millions of Americans who have contributed to its progress." The Kennedy Center has also faced significant upheaval, with the Trump administration purging Biden appointees from the board, firing the center's president, and installing Trump himself as chairman of the institution.
Artists have already begun responding to what they perceive as government overreach with acts of protest and resistance. In a high-profile incident in July, artist Amy Sherald made the decision to cancel her exhibition "American Sublime" at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery after museum officials raised concerns about displaying her painting of a Black transgender Statue of Liberty. Sherald later explained her decision by stating that "institutional fear shaped by a broader climate of political hostility toward trans lives" clearly influenced the museum's response to her work.
The Fall of Freedom organizers paint a stark picture of the current cultural and political landscape, warning that "threats to free expression are rising" and that "dissent is being criminalized." They argue that cultural institutions and media organizations "have been recast as mouthpieces of propaganda," fundamentally undermining their traditional roles as independent voices in American society. Through their coordinated resistance campaign, these artists and cultural workers hope to demonstrate the power of creative expression as a tool for defending democratic values and protecting the rights of marginalized communities across the nation.
