This is exactly what I warned about in TIME. Defunding the arts, rewriting history, politicizing public culture—it’s all part of the authoritarian playbook. Kennedy Center’s collapse is a symptom. The strategy is much bigger.

This is exactly what I warned about in TIME. Defunding the arts, rewriting history, politicizing public culture—it’s all part of the authoritarian playbook. Kennedy Center’s collapse is a symptom. The strategy is much bigger.

Now, Kennedy Center ticket sales are collapsing under politicized leadership. This is what happens when public culture is captured and hollowed out.

Days later, the White House fired the entire Fine Arts Commission, which oversees presidential construction projects like Trump’s new ballroom.

The White House has confirmed the firing of all six Commission of Fine Arts members. This purge clears the way for Trump loyalists to greenlight his ballroom—proof positive of the authoritarian playbook I warned about in TIME. History’s being rewritten, brick by brick.

Read the piece 😀

History shows us what happens when governments decide which stories can be told. For the sake of our democracy, we must stay vigilant.

The threats I outline in my TIME piece are national, but the defense of culture is local. Support your local museum. Attend a community theater performance. Subscribe to public broadcasting. These institutions are the front line in this battle.