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Boston Globe

Trump's NEA cuts hit hard

And so, in a move Advertisement Now, art must be about satisfying Dear Leader, and reflecting his vision of Great America. What does that look like? To a president who has slammed the door on almost all refugees Trump is Advertisement To small outfits like Urbanity runs community dance classes and programs to help improve mobility for people with Parkinson's. And for a few years now, its performers have worked with student dancers at Boston Arts Academy and others to create Urbanity won a $15,000 NEA grant to fund this year's performance, which played before a packed house at the school on March 28. The company fronted expenses, as it has in the past. 'I didn't have a question in my mind that we would get reimbursed,' said Betsi Graves, who founded the company 15 years ago. But earlier this month, Urbanity was one of hundreds of recipients of an NEA email pulling the grant. By that point, Graves wasn't entirely surprised: All of the dance administrators at the NEA had left, and when she had asked for the money, she couldn't get clear answers. Still, when the grant was pulled, it was a sucker punch, she said. On top of that, it made no sense. The letter said the NEA was acting to 'focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.' It offered a list of those priorities that reads like a random, AI-generated poem: 'projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again,' and more. Advertisement Graves could make a convincing argument that preventing bullying keeps America healthy, but what would be the use? It's impossible for her, or any arts leader, to satisfy this administration. Just as it's impossible for There's nothing for a small arts group like Urbanity to do but 'Our existence is always precarious,' Graves said. 'But it's especially so now, with regards to the government funding, and just the state of the economy, and not knowing how many donations we'll receive.' She worries donors will be chilled by Trump's crusade against the arts, that their support for Urbanity might make them, too, targets. But she is not backing down. 'We are not losing sight of our mission,' she said. 'All of us artists really have to band together and find new funding structures that will support our values.' That's how you stand up to bullies. Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham can be reached at