Curating Race-Themed Art Exhibitions In Trump Era

WASHINGTON – An evocative artifact from the American Civil War, featuring a Black man escaping slavery and assisting an injured White Union soldier in hostile territory, is now under scrutiny.John Rogers’ sculpture, “The Wounded Scout, a Friend in the Swamp,” unveiled in 1864, was praised for its anti-slavery sentiments. However, the upcoming Smithsonian exhibition, “The Shape of Power: Stories of Race and American Sculpture,” encourages visitors to reevaluate its implications.The exhibition juxtaposes the sculpture with an explanation challenging how Rogers’ work may have reinforced entrenched racial hierarchies despite its apparent pro-Union and emancipation messages. President Trump has criticized the exhibit, asserting it promotes divisions by framing art as a vehicle of “scientific racism." He appointed Vice President JD Vance to oversee federal funding for exhibitions that align with a narrative of shared American values.This sparks fears about potentially diminishing critical discourse on race in American history within the Smithsonian’s vast collection.