9/11/2025

Iowa City, IA - Public Space One is pleased to announce Banned but Not Silenced: Resisting Censorship Through Art and Activism, a two-year, $100,000 grant program generously supported by the Henry Luce Foundation.

In response to speech restrictions on university campuses that have been passed or proposed by the Iowa Legislature and federal government, Public Space One, in partnership with The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, will undertake a multi-year project to explore presenting challenging (even banned) artwork in repressive politicized environments. Through matching artists and activists with students and residents in our community, this collaborative project aims to expand and platform dissent in a time when politics have limited what state-supported institutions can do.

The project will consist of two initiatives that aim to research, document, and resist authoritarian repression, protect artistic expression, and defend vulnerable populations in Iowa by:

creating a parallel learning space for programs and conversations related to expression, dialogue, and presentation in contemporary art.
providing support, training, and resources for community members who want to take action to preserve free expression and/or oppose censorship and repression in the arts nd education.

This work will occur in dialogue with the Stanley Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions through spring 2027, beginning with Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity and Sandra M. Sawatzky’s The Black Gold Tapestry.

"We are excited for the forward-thinking opportunity provided by both the Henry Luce Foundation and Stanley Museum of Art in this substantial commitment towards free expression. Our hope is for this to be a substantial program for Iowa students and residents as well as a model for similar collaborations between community organizations and larger institutions, throughout the country," PS1 Executive Director, John Engelbrecht notes.

We’re grateful for the generous support of the The Henry Luce Foundation's American Art Program, which “supports innovative museum projects nationwide that advance the role of visual arts of the United States in an open and equitable society, and the potential of museums to serve as forums for art-centered conversations that celebrate creativity, explore difference, and seek common ground. The Foundation empowers museums to reconsider accepted histories, foreground the voices and experiences of underrepresented artists and cultures, and welcome diverse communities into dialogue.” – https://hluce.org/programs/american-art/

This project represents an opportunity to be responsive in relation to censorship in the arts, and we want to invite members of our community to an introductory session for a strategic learning, research, and action group. This cohort will grow and evolve for the length of the project as participants with all levels of expertise and experience and a desire to witness, assess, and act are welcome. Potential participants can register their interest here or send a direct message to the contact below.

Banned but Not Silenced: Resisting Censorship Through Art and Activism