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Before the Americas

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Before the Americas was an art exhibition curated by Cheryl D. Edwards, shown at George Mason University (Gillespie Gallery) from August 25 to November 15, 2025, and at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC Arts Program Gallery) from February 15 to May 10, 2026.[1][2][3] Commissioned by the Art Museum of the Americas (AMA) in 2021, the exhibition presented an art survey by 39 artists of African American, Afro-Latino, Latino, and Caribbean descent, representing 17 Organization of American States (OAS) member countries, and addressed themes such as ancestral memory, migration, and transnational cultural connections.[4] The AMA cancellation of the planned 2025 showing—reported to be linked to changes in U.S. government funding policy—led to the exhibition being hosted and funded by George Mason University and private donors.[5][6][4]

Background and commission

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The AMA commissioned an art historical survey in 2021 as part of programming tied to regional initiatives addressing the Decade for People of African Descent in the Americas.[7][8][9][10] The project was commissioned by AMA directors Adriana Ospina and Pablo Zúñiga and developed with curator Cheryl D. Edwards. The proposed exhibition had received funding allocated by the U.S. Ambassador to the OAS, Francisco O. Mora, in 2021.[11][12]

Cheryl D. Edwards was engaged by the AMA as curator due to her expertise in the work of Black artists in the Washington, D.C. area.[6][12][13]

Cancellation at the Art Museum of Americas

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The AMA had scheduled the exhibition to open on March 21, 2025.[14] On January 20, 2025 (the day of his inauguration), Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14151, mandating the termination of all activities relating to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA).[15] On February 6, 2025, following changes to U.S. government DEIA-related funding policy, the museum removed Before the Americas from its 2025 calendar.[12] Contemporary reporting linked the removal of the exhibition to those policy changes and to a reevaluation of federally funded programming.[16][17]

Following the cancellation, Donald H. Russell, the curator at George Mason University, offered to host the exhibition.[18] The show was produced with additional funding from private donors (reported as approximately 50 to 60 by Cheryl D. Edwards).[19][20]

George Mason University exhibition and symposium

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The exhibition was organized by George Mason University curator Donald H. Russell and shown at GMU's Gillespie Gallery from August 25 to November 15, 2025.[21][22][16] A corresponding symposium, the Before the Americas Symposium, was held on October 4, 2025, at GMU's Center for the Arts Concert Hall, accompanied by a GMU exhibition catalog.[18][23] The symposium included two artist panels, a historical perspectives discussion, a panel of curators, a panel of collectors, and a live performance by Luis Vasquez LaRoche.[24]

University of Maryland Global Campus exhibition and artist panel

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Before the Americas was shown at the University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) from February 15 to May 10, 2026, at the UMGC Arts Program Gallery.[3] A corresponding artist panel was held on February 15, 2026, accompanied by a UMGC exhibition catalog.[25]

Artists and works

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The exhibition featured works by international artists whose contributions to American art are well documented, including Amy Sherald, Renée Stout, Joyce Scott, Sam Gilliam, Martin Puryear, Alma Thomas, Lois Mailou Jones, Elizabeth Catlett, Wifredo Lam, E.J. Montgomery, Samella Lewis, Alexander Skunder Boghossian, Alonzo Davis and David C. Driskell.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]

The works explored issues of ancestral memory, migration, and interconnectivity in African American, Afro-Latino, Latino, and Caribbean communities across mediums including sculpture, printmaking, and book art.[38][39][18][20]

Reception

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The exhibition was enthusiastically received at both venues. Interest in the exhibition was international. The founder of the Monte Azul Center for the Arts in Costa Rica wrote: “Curated with extraordinary insight and unflinching resolve, this catalog and exhibition stand as a testament to the power of art to confront erasure and reclaim space. It is a manifestation of truth—unapologetic, complex, and deeply rooted in the lived experiences of Afro-descendant artists across the Americas." [40] The show garnered attention in a national newspaper in Mexico, the home of several of the artists featured in the exhibition.[41]

The exhibition’s cancellation at the AMA and subsequent re-stagings received national and international media attention. "Before the Americas" was foregrounded in public debates over the impact of the Trump Administration's DEI policy on cultural funding and museum programming, with coverage in outlets including: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Le Monde, Hyperallergic, ArtNews, Art Forum, NPR and The Guardian.[42][1][2][43]

References

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  1. 1 2 Azimi, Roxana (March 6, 2025). "Les musées américains sous le feu de la censure". Le Monde. Paris, France. Retrieved March 19, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Small, Zachary (August 23, 2025). "As Trump Targets the Smithsonian, Museums Across the U.S. Feel a Chill". The New York Times. pp. C-1. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  3. 1 2 "University of Maryland Global Campus Arts | Before the Americas". East City Arts. 10 February 2026. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 Aton, Francesca (October 6, 2025). "Exhibition Canceled by Trump's DEI Ban Opens at George Mason University". Art News. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  5. ↑ Morgan, Kelli (28 March 2025). "Comment | Scrapping DEI initiatives could damage US museums' visitor numbers". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  6. 1 2 Capps, Kriston (February 26, 2025). "Art Museum of Americas cancels shows of Black, LGBTQ artists following Trump orders". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
  7. ↑ "International Decade for People of African Descent 2015–2024: Actions Taken". United Nations. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Plan of Action for the Decade for People of African Descent in the Americas (2018–2025) (PDF) (Report). Vol. OEA/Ser.P AG/RES.2891 (XLVI-O/16). 14 June 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  9. ↑ "What Does the Future Hold for Afrodescendants in the Second UN Decade?". U.S. Mission to the Organization of American States. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  10. ↑ "International Decade for People of African Descent 2015–2024". United Nations (UN). Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Wiggins, Christopher (February 27, 2025). "Art Museum of the Americas cancels Black & LGBTQ+ exhibitions after Trump's DEI Crackdown". The Advocate. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  12. 1 2 3 Farfan, Isa (24 February 2025). "Show on Artists of African Descent Loses Funding Amid Trump DEI Crackdown". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  13. ↑ Isaac Mann (25 July 2024). "Art Matters #37 Cheryl Edwards" (Podcast). Buzzsprout. Event occurs at 1:24:08. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ Farfan, Isa (27 February 2025). "Art Museum of the Americas Cancels Second Show Amid Trump's DEI Crackdown". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  15. ↑ "Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing". The Federal Register. 29 January 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  16. 1 2 Farfan, Isa (December 17, 2025). "How Trump Impacted Arts and Culture in 2025". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  17. ↑ Smith, David (1 March 2025). "'I was in shock': DC gallery pulls exhibits of Black and LGBTQ+ artists amid Trump DEI crackdown". The Guardian. p. 55. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  18. 1 2 3 de Leeuw, Noëlle (5 October 2025). "An Exhibition Axed Under Trump's DEI Ban Finds a New Home". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  19. ↑ "Before the Americas Fundraising Event". George Mason University. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  20. 1 2 "Exhibition Canceled by Trump's DEI Ban Opens at George Mason University". OCAA UK. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  21. ↑ "Before the Americas: Art as Resistance, Memory, and Truth". Monte Azul Center for the Arts. 6 September 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  22. ↑ Ramirez, Marc (29 October 2025). "Can art be too 'woke'? Museums, galleries across nation fight for expression and funding". USA Today. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  23. ↑ "Donald Russell". George Mason University. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  24. ↑ "Before the America's Symposium". George Mason University. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  25. ↑ "Before the Americas Exhibition". University of Maryland Global Campus. February 16, 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  26. ↑ Cooper, Anderson (March 24, 2026). "Artist Amy Sherald: The 60 Minutes Interview". 60 Minutes (Interview). CBS News. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  27. ↑ "Amy Sherald". Whitney Museum of American Art. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  28. ↑ "Renée Stout". National Gallery of Art. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  29. ↑ "Renée Stout". Smithsonian American Art Museum & Renwick Gallery. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  30. ↑ Ho, Melissa (14 September 2023). "Composing Color: Paintings by Alma Thomas". Smithsonian American Art Museum & Renwick Gallery. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  31. ↑ "Alma Woodsey Thomas: 1891 to 1978". National Museum of Women in the Arts. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  32. ↑ "Elizabeth Catlett". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  33. ↑ Smith, Melissa (September 23, 2024). "How Elizabeth Catlett Went from Exile to Artist for Our Times". ArtNet. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  34. ↑ Adams, Beverly; Cherix, Christophe (13 November 2025). "A World Ahead". Museum of Modern Art. Retrieved 15 March 2026.
  35. ↑ Nathan, Emily (2 October 2015). "Rediscovering the Sensual Multiculturalism of Wifredo Lam at Centre Pompidou". ArtNet. p. 309. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  36. ↑ Hanson, Lauren (10 February 2025). "Remembering Alonzo Davis (1942–2025)". LACMA. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  37. ↑ "Alonzo Davis (1942–2025)". Art Forum. 6 February 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  38. ↑ Rodney, Seph (March 14, 2025). "Creating art under Trump will become harder but it will remain vital". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
  39. ↑ Sutton, Benjamin (5 March 2025). "Art Museum of the Americas cancels shows of Black and LGBTQ+ artists amid Trump's DEI crackdown". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  40. ↑ Carlos Rojas, "Before the Americas: Art as Resistance, Memory, and Truth," September 6, 2025. https://www.noroeste.com.mx/entretenimiento/cultura/reflexionan-artistas-sobre-migracion-e-interconectividad-en-before-the-americas-NG22240805
  41. ↑ Nelly Sanchez, "Reflexionan artistas sobre migración e interconectividad en ‘Before the Americas’," May 8, 2026. https://www.noroeste.com.mx/entretenimiento/cultura/reflexionan-artistas-sobre-migracion-e-interconectividad-en-before-the-americas-NG22240805
  42. ↑ Blair, Elizabeth (February 11, 2025). "'Chilling effect': Arts organizations react to end of DEI initiatives from fed agency". NPR. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
  43. ↑ "Art Museum of the Americas Axes Two Exhibitions After Trump Executive Order Banning DEI". Art Forum. March 4, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2026.
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