About ACAP

About Us

NCAC’s Arts & Culture Advocacy Program (ACAP) is the only national project dedicated to working directly with individual artists, authors, playwrights, curators, and other creatives involved in censorship disputes. Launched in 2000, ACAP protects artists’ participation in democratic dialogue by defending public access to their work and supporting artists’ 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 and analyze 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 for curators 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.

Recent Art Controversies

Censored Artists and Their Stories 

Resources for Artists, Curators and Art Institutions

Artist Feature:
Evan Apodaca

Evan Apodaca’s project about the history of militarism in San Diego was vetted by a panel and invited for inclusion within a temporary exhibition at the San Diego Airport. A month after it went up, the artist was informed of its sudden removal.

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