Recent Art Controversies

Censored Artists and Their Stories 

Resources for Artists, Curators and Art Institutions

About ACAP

About Us

NCAC’s Arts & Culture Advocacy Program (ACAP) is the only national project dedicated to protecting artistic freedom within the United States. Launched in 2000, ACAP upholds artists’ participation in democratic dialogue by defending public access to their work and supporting their ability to freely express views that might be unpopular or controversial. ACAP resolves controversies through education and advocacy, avoiding the need for legal action. 

In addition to censorship casework, we track national censorship trends and produce educational resources that empower artists, curators, and institutions to advocate for and devise productive ways to display and engage in dialogue around controversial artworks. We host an annual Curatorial Workshop to discuss strategies and tactics for curating challenging works, and are also a co-founding organization of Don’t Delete Art, a collaborative project dedicated to protecting artistic expression online.

Censored Artists
and Their Stories:

Michelle Hartney

In March of 2023, Michelle Hartney’s collaborative mixed media installation work titled Unplanned Parenthood was met with censorship in Idaho. In January 2025, calls for censoring the work again nearly succeeded in Illinois.

Amicus Briefs

Commentary

Don’t Delete Art

Curatorial Workshops

Biannual opportunities for curators to candidly discuss the challenges they face in presenting controversial artworks.

Arts & Culture Advocacy Program is Supported By