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Washington Post
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Years ago, the Smithsonian rejected his Trump portrait. How about now?
In 2015, artist Julian Raven had what he describes as a 'prophetic experience' that led him to paint the most significant work of his life: then-candidate Donald Trump, eyes twinkling, next to the sun rising over America and a bald eagle holding the U.S. flag in its talons. He called it 'Unafraid and Unashamed.' A reproduction of the 8-by-16-foot painting toured the country and was exhibited at the Republican National Convention in 2016. Raven got to meet Trump in Trump Tower. But when the artist submitted his masterpiece for inclusion in the National Portrait Gallery that year, Director Kim Sajet brusquely rejected it, Raven told the Washingtonian in 2019, saying that the painting was 'too pro-Trump' and 'too political,' and also: 'I know this is hard, and no artist ever wants to hear this, but the painting is no good.' (Sajet didn't comment at the time on their interaction, which by then had become the subject of litigation.) Raven sued her in 2017, alleging in his self-authored legal complaint that the Portrait Gallery violated the First and Fifth Amendments, depriving him of free speech and his right to due process. He lost. He appealed. He lost again. Now Trump is back in office, unafraid and unashamed. And last month, the president said that he was firing Sajet for being 'a highly partisan person, and a strong supporter of DEI,' referring to diversity, equity and inclusion. (He did not cite a legal authority under which he could oust the director, and Sajet has continued to report to work.) The White House provided a list of 17 instances it believes support the president's claims about her. The incident with Raven and his Trump painting is fourth on that list. 'I laughed when I read the headline,' Raven said last week in an interview, as the drama unfolded. If Trump gets his way and the Portrait Gallery hires a new, presumably conservative director — although hiring and firing is the decision of Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III — it's possible that 'Unafraid and Unashamed' could end up in the museum after all. 'It would shake Washington,' he said. 'Little old Julian Raven, who they ridiculed and mocked and they kicked him to the curb year after year, was right after all.' Some observers may have rolled their eyes at Raven's litigation over his rejected painting, but it did seek to elucidate the Smithsonian's curious legal status: The institution was established as a trust by Englishman James Smithson and was lawfully created by Congress in 1846. It is guided by a board of regents led by the vice president, chief justice, elected representatives and appointed private citizens. So, is the Smithsonian part of the government? Or is it a private entity that has government officials on its board? On its website, the Smithsonian defines itself as a 'trust instrumentality of the United States' that is not an executive branch agency but 'enjoys the immunity of the United States from lawsuits, unless such suits are authorized by Congress under specific statutes,' including the Federal Tort Claims Act, under which Raven attempted to amend his initial suit. In his ruling on Raven's lawsuit, District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, a Trump-appointed judge, offered some clarity: 'The First Amendment's Free Speech Clause does not limit the Gallery's art decisions, because it protects private speech, rather than curtailing government speech,' McFadden wrote. 'Nor does the Fifth Amendment apply, as Mr. Raven has no legal right to the Gallery's consideration. … In sum, despite its philanthropic mien, the Smithsonian is a government institution through and through.' Members of Congress and the board of regents have said that the president has no right to fire Sajet because that authority belongs to Bunch, the secretary. The Smithsonian has not yet commented on Sajet's firing. The board of regents is widely expected to discuss the issue during its Monday meeting. 'I'm sort of hoping that Sajet will sue,' Raven told The Washington Post, but that could present some challenges. 'It was the Department of Justice that defends Sajet all throughout the legal wranglings that I had. If she goes knocking on Pam Bondi's door for help, well, you know what's going to happen, right?' Raven resubmitted his painting to the Portrait Gallery for consideration once more after Trump's second victory. He says he copied contacts from the U.S. DOGE Service, as well as Elon Musk — and received a polite rejection letter from the gallery. Regardless of what he thinks about Sajet, Raven says he believes that, under the institution's current structure, the president 'has no right to fire her.' But he has some ideas to change that: He believes that Congress needs to amend the Smithsonian Act of 1846 and restructure the board of regents. On Sunday, the artist wrote to Lindsey Halligan, the Trump special assistant and senior associate staff secretary who was named in the executive order titled 'Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History,' which aims to 'restore the Smithsonian Institution to its rightful place as a symbol of inspiration and American greatness' by removing 'improper ideology' from the organization. 'By encouraging a majority-led Congress to finally amend the Smithsonian Act of 1846, the President can bypass the institutional blockade of the Board of Regents and act through proper legal channels to reform the Smithsonian Institution — beginning with the removal of Kim Sajet,' wrote Raven, copying a Post reporter on the message. He called his proposal the 'Smithsonian Reform and Accountability Act,' and suggested six Republican lawmakers who might be able to sponsor it. He also encouraged Halligan to read his memoir about the lawsuit, titled 'Odious and Cerberus,' and to attend the Monday news conference he had planned to conduct on the sidewalk in front of the Smithsonian Castle, during the regents' meeting. 'I remain at your service for further legal reference or coordination as needed,' the artist added. Despite his eagerness to help the Trump administration to end Sajet's career at the Portrait Gallery, Raven is not a Trump supporter anymore. He says he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, but not in 2024, because of his disapproval of the president's role in the events of Jan. 6, 2021. At the time, he called for the Portrait Gallery to hang a black cloth over the photograph of Trump the museum had put on display. He publicly called for Trump's resignation. The president 'disgraced the office of the presidency,' Raven told The Post. 'He should have been held to account.' Raven called Trump an 'amoral transactional pragmatist,' saying he prays for him and the Trump family. But, 'listen, I'm an artist,' says Raven, chuckling. 'I mean, I was hoping my portrait would have received at least some attention, positively.' Maybe it still will, if the next gallery director makes a different assessment of the merits of his artwork. 'Her replacement will be named shortly,' wrote Trump in his Truth Social post saying Sajet was fired. 'Thank you for your attention to this matter!' So if the president gets his way and replaces her, and the next director of the National Portrait Gallery decides that Raven's portrait is fit for display in one of the nation's premier museums — making him famous for a portrait of a president he no longer supports — well, 'maybe that's just the journey I'm on,' he said.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Elmira artist at odds with DEC over who will fund environmental cleanup of his building
When renowned Elmira artist Julian Raven purchased a long abandoned and deteriorating building in the city in 2014, with plans to restore it and use it as a studio, he never suspected he would end up in a protracted battle with state officials over previous contamination. But the state Department of Environmental Conservation designated the property at 714 Baldwin St. as an inactive hazardous waste site that represents a significant threat to public health or the environment. A public information meeting on the site and the proposed remedial action is scheduled for May 29. The cleanup plan for the site will cost more than $600,000, and as current owner of the property, Raven said DEC expects him to carry much of that financial burden. Raven said he has questions. "Given that the contamination at 714 Baldwin St. has been known for decades without any emergency health warnings, is there any imminent risk to public health that justifies further state action?" he asked. "Having used the building as my art studio for many years and even having resided within during Covid in my RV, my personal health is the perfect barometer of the potential environmental threat," Raven said. "At 54 years of age, I have excellent health, thank God, and after the period living in the building I had specific health checkups and blood tests for tetrachloroethylene, etc. and was given a clean bill of health." The property at 714 Baldwin St. covers 0.75 acres, including one single-floor warehouse with a small unpaved driveway and a lawn area to the north and east of the building. The site is zoned for light industrial use. Until 2014 the site was used as a laundry and truck fueling and maintenance depot, while before 1990 it was used to store petroleum products, according to a fact sheet issued by DEC. The primary contaminants of concern at the site are chlorinated volatile organic compounds which are present in site soil, groundwater, and soil vapor; and petroleum-related volatile organic compounds present in site soil and groundwater, the DEC fact sheet stated. The proposed remedial action plan for the property includes: Excavating about 100 cubic yards of contaminated soil and disposing of it off-site at a permitted facility. Backfilling with clean material. Treating of contaminated groundwater through injection of chemical oxidants into the groundwater. Treating of contaminated soil vapor through installation of a sub-slab depressurization system. Adhering to a Site Management Plan for long term maintenance of the remedial systems. The estimated total cost of the remediation plan is $640,375. The agency said it attempts to identify parties responsible for site contamination before committing state funds for investigation and cleanup. The public information meeting was originally scheduled for April 10, but Raven, who is currently living in Spain, said he wouldn't be back in time to attend. He also indicated he was never informed by DEC about the meeting but learned of it through a local news report. That is consistent with a pattern DEC has followed since Raven acquired the property, he said. "In good faith I approached the DEC in 2014, offering my willful participation in the revitalization of 714 Baldwin St. as a bona fide purchaser. I have done what I said I would do in restoring the property from the blight that it was," Raven said. "I am sincerely disappointed to have both been left in the dark about the public meeting and then to have seen my name in the document as a potential responsible party." Raven also pointed out there was a former industrial dry cleaning operation, Diamond Cleaners, a few blocks east of his property at 717 Lake St., and he wants to know what evidence DEC has that contamination at 714 Baldwin St. originated from activity at that site and didn't spread from the former dry cleaners prior to its remediation. "Given the seriousness of these matters and the potential legal ramifications, I reserve my right to pursue all available legal avenues to protect my interests and to challenge the DEC's handling of this matter," Raven said. More 'These costs will have to be passed on': How tariffs are impacting Southern Tier manufacturers The public information meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. May 29 at the Steele Memorial Library, 101 E. Church St. in Elmira. Documents related to the Baldwin Street project and proposed remediation are available for public review at the Steele Memorial Library, and can also be accessed online at DEC is also accepting public comments on the proposed remediation plan for 714 Baldwin St. through June 12. Comments and questions should be directed to Project Manager Kira Bruno at 518-402-8068, or by email Project-related health questions can be submitted to state Department of Health representative Harolyn Hood at 518-473-4780, or beei@ Follow Jeff Murray on X (Twitter) @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Elmira artist faces possible cleanup cost of building contamination
