As controversy continues to surround the Trump administration's policies and ideas, ArtPrize says they are "compelled to speak out" and has issued a statement sharing the mission and guiding principles of ArtPrize.

ArtPrize has always been home to controversy. The winners, the art and the artists have always pushed the conversation. It's a trend which one would expect to reach an all-time high this fall.

On Thursday, February 9, ArtPrize shared a message including their mission and guiding principles.

The message said ArtPrize opposes any efforts to:

  • Discriminate against anyone based on religion, race, gender, sexual identity, physical ability or economic status.
  • Detain or persecute refugees and immigrants.
  • Limit or undermine a free press or freedom of speech.
  • Prevent any child in the United States from accessing a quality education that includes the arts and humanities.

The list of ArtPrize entries which have been critical of the competition and conservative political viewpoints is a long one. With ArtPrize's ties to the DeVos family and the controversy surrounding the confirmation of Betsy DeVos as our new Education Secretary you can expect to see an increase in political entries this fall.

It's a direction supported by ArtPrize, they say:

Disagreements are messy and minds don’t necessarily change, but providing a meeting ground for dissent and contradictory ideas is as important to art as it is to democracy.

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