By james art 
Hundreds of artists have signed a letter sent to the National Arts Fund asking to cancel the changes in the policy made as a result of the latest executive orders issued by President Donald Trump.
“We are opposed to this betrayal of the donation mission to encourage and maintain an environment in which the arts are beneficial to all in the United States,” the letter said.
Annie Dorssen, based in New York, writer and theater director who manages the efforts, said the letter with NPR. She said she was signed by 463 artists of a wide variety of disciplines, including dramaturi Lin Nottage and Paula Vogel.
“Trump and its factors can use DoubleSpeak to claim that support for artists with color represents” discrimination “and that financing the work of trans and female artists encourages” gender ideology “(whatever it is). But we know Better: They are the arts because you present everyone.
Dorssen told the NPR that she sent the letter private to Nea on Tuesday morning. She also shared it with The New York Timeswhich were the first to report it.
Nea did not answer request for comment.
Summoning to cancel the rules of conformity
The letter specifically calls for NEA to return the rules of conformity conformity to Grants for arts projectswho now require candidates to observe two executive orders issued by Trump. One -state Applicants should not “operate any programs promoting” diversity, justice and inclusion “that violate all applicable federal anti -discrimination laws; the otherAimed at transgender and other LGBTQ+ arts programming states that federal grants should not be used to “promote gender ideology” in terms of an executive order recognizing only “two genders, men and women.”
NPR attended a Nea seminar on Tuesday afternoon for art groups planning to apply for grants. The questions were not taken to the session, but they had to be sent in advance. No new restrictions were mentioned.
“The first amendment is one of the most sophisticated principles on which this country is based. And we all love to think that it is a country where artists have the right to self -expression, as we all do,” Dorssen said. “So this NEA action is more than concerned because it seems that through this kind of strange executive orders and their applications to certain agencies, this freedom is taken away little by little.”
The letter comes against the background of a growing number of protests led by artists against the Trump administration, including one including dancers In Washington, Colombia County. in relation to Trump rejects the leaders of the John F. Kennedy Stage Arts Center and make a chairman.
“The problem is not over now that we sent this letter,” Dorssen said. “It is a signal for them that we know what is happening and we are not silent about it.”
Edited by Jennifer Vanasco.
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