In South Carolina, Artistic Freedom Is on the Ballot This November
A governor-appointed arts commission has denied funding from two LGBTQ+ organizations and an artist focused on immigration issues.
As South Carolina voters head to the polls on November 3, a significant question arises regarding the potential impact of their ballot on the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC). In August, the commission unveiled fresh guidelines that forbid the funding of any work advocating a specific ideology, echoing the rhetoric of former President Donald Trump. Previously, the SCAC, composed of nine governor-appointed members, rejected funding for an artist and two LGBTQ+ performing arts organizations earlier this month.
The SCAC, which has disbursed more than $132 million in grants to artists, schools, and cultural entities in South Carolina since its establishment by Governor Robert E. McNair in 1967, has recently faced criticism for singling out LGBTQ+ arts groups during its grant decisions and enforcing enigmatic funding limits. Following a board meeting on August 20, the commission declared that grantees are prohibited from directing funds to promote any ideology.
The National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) expressed concern in a statement published on October 28, stating that the new rule, with its lack of a clear definition of ideology or promotion, can be employed to suppress virtually any cultural activity that pertains to society, history, identity, religion, science, or politics.
The NCAC argues that the grant rule mirrors the administration's previous targeting of federal grant funding for projects related to "gender ideology," a vague term often used to propagate essentialist and anti-transgender perspectives on gender.
Elizabeth Larison, director of arts and culture advocacy at NCAC, emphasized in a statement to Hyperallergic that the adoption of this vague grant rule by the SCAC, despite independent review and vetting, constitutes a problem in itself. However, the real threat to artistic freedom and democratic principles in South Carolina lies in the fact that this rule allows government appointees to veto any projects they personally disapprove of, potentially stifling creative expression and democratic discourse.
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