Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News v. 11 n. 10, October 2025

Advocacy & Public Policy Committee News support the committee's mission to monitor governmental activities and social justice issues affecting the professional interests of ARLIS/NA and to keep the ARLIS/NA membership informed. The monthly alerts are intended to be conversation starters, help members keep up on public policy issues and alert members to new developments. The articles compiled in the News Alerts bring to the forefront recent news from a range of perspectives designed to elicit discussion; they are not compiled to represent the views of ARLIS as an organization or the members of the Advocacy and Public Policy Committee.

Previous issues can be found here: https://www.arlisna.org/news/appc-news-alert 

Art & Activism

• Aton, Francesca. “Ice Sculpture Spelling ‘Democracy’ Melts on National Mall in Washington, DC.” ARTnews, October 16, 2025.

• Eddy, Jordan. “Manic ExxonMobil Impersonators Pitch a Rising Protest Aesthetic: Razor-Sharp Silliness.” Southwest Contemporary, October 30, 2025. 

• Farfan, Isa. “Artists Are Helping Revive Jane Fonda-Led Free Speech Group.” Hyperallergic, October 13, 2025.

• Greenberger, Alex. “Statue of Trump and Epstein Holding Hands Returns to Washington, D.C.” ARTnews, October 3, 2025.

• Small, Zachary. “Artists Plan Nationwide Protests Against ‘Authoritarian Forces.’” The New York Times, October 14, 2025. [paywall]

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access (IDEA)

• Hauser, Christine. “Enslaved Potter’s Art, Displayed at Boston Museum, Returns to Heirs at Last.” The New York Times, October 31, 2025. [paywall]

• Solomon, Tessa. “An Indigenous Takeover of the Met Asks Who Should Be Writing Art History.” ARTnews, October 16, 2025. 

• Williams, Alex. “Marcyliena Morgan, Founder of Harvard’s Hip-Hop Archive, Dies at 75.” The New York Times, November 1, 2025. [paywall]

Intellectual Freedom/Access to Information

• Cassady, Daniel. “Pepperdine Museum Director Resigns Amid Censorship Controversy.” ARTnews, October 27, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “School Nixes Exhibition Criticized by Turning Point USA.” Hyperallergic, October 16, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “An Exhibition of Silenced Artists Sends a Warning in New York City.” Hyperallergic, October 22, 2025.

• Jensen, Kelly. “The Banning of Banned Books Week.” BOOK RIOT, October 31, 2025.

• NCAC Comms. “Pepperdine University Censorship Sparks Artist Protest at Weisman Museum.” National Coalition Against Censorship, October 17, 2025.

• PEN America.“The Normalization of Book Banning.” PEN America, October 1, 2025. 

• Stromberg, Matt. “California School Shutters Exhibition After Altering ‘Political’ Art.” Hyperallergic, October 9, 2025.

Technology and Digital Privacy

• Alms, Natalie. “CBP expands facial recognition for non-citizens at borders.” Nextgov/FCW, October 27, 2025.

• Brittain, Blake. “OpenAI Loses Bid to Dismiss Part of US Authors’ Copyright Lawsuit.” Reuters, October 28, 2025. 

• Darville, Jordan. “Suno Lawsuit: Major Labels Respond to the A.I. App’s Motion for Dismissal.” The FADER, October 21, 2025. 

• Ennis, Matt. “Clarivate Survey Indicates Steady Increase in Library AI Adoption Worldwide, Skepticism in U.S.” Library Journal, October 30, 2025.

• Harding, Scharon. “Ring cameras are about to get increasingly chummy with law enforcement.” Ars Technica, October 17, 2025.

• Rattigan, Kathryn M. “California Amends CCPA to Target Personal Information Control.” National Law Review, October 16, 2025.

• Schuba, Tom. “ICE has powerful facial recognition app Illinois cops are barred from using — with little apparent oversight.” Chicago Sun-Times, October 31, 2025. [paywall]

Workplace

• Abramovitch, Seth. “LACMA Staff Seeks to Unionize, Citing Low Wages and ‘Expanded Workloads.’” The Hollywood Reporter, October 29, 2025. 

• Drabinski, Emily. “Library Admins Are Using Public Money to Hire Union Busters Against Workers.” Truthout, October 27, 2025. 

• Farfan, Isa. “Kentucky’s Speed Museum Axes Education Department.” Hyperallergic, October 6, 2025.

• Solomon, Tessa. “Wexner Center for the Arts Staff Sent ‘No Confidence’ Letter About Director to University.” ARTnews, October 24, 2025. 

• Zochowski, Faith. “Toledo Library Union Rejects Contract, Votes to Strike.” WTOL11, October 29, 2025. 

Miscellaneous

• Farfan, Isa. “Hispanic Society to Sell Dozens of Artworks From Its Collection.” Hyperallergic, October 12, 2025. 

• Khan, Daneen. “UNC schools of data science and information science to merge, forming unnamed ‘School of AI’.” Daily Tar Heel, October 9, 2025.

• Nayyar, Rhea. “NYC Arts Nonprofit Canal Projects Closing After Four Years.”  Hyperallergic, October 22, 2025.

• Pontone, Maya. “30 Bob Ross Paintings Head to Auction to Support Public Media.” Hyperallergic, October 9, 2025. 

Special News Alert: 47th Presidential Administration and Cultural Heritage

• Ahlander, Johan. “Trump Casts Shadow over Nobels as Prize-Awarding Body Warns Academic Freedom at Risk.” Reuters, October 3, 2025.

• Cooke, Chris. “After Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Settlement, Big Tech Takes Aim at Statutory Damages in Copyright Disputes, Seeks Trump’s Support.” CMU, October 29, 2025.

• Farfan, Isa. “Trump Fires Majority of Federal Humanities Council.” Hyperallergic, October 2, 2025.

• Fritze, John. “Trump Asks Supreme Court to Let Him Fire a Top Library of Congress Official.” CNN, October 27, 2025. 

• Kornbluh, Anna, and Ignacio M. Sánchez Prado. “How to Protect Your Right to Culture.” Hyperallergic, October 14, 2025.

• Lubell, Sam. “Facing Funding Cuts and Censorship Threats, Museums Band Together.” The New York Times, October 16, 2025. [paywall]

2025 Government Shutdown

• Press Release. “Institute of Museum and Library Services Issues Lapse Plan.” Institute of Museum and Library Services, September 30, 2025. 

• Sutton, Benjamin. “US government shutdown will force federally funded museums to close in coming days.” The Art Newspaper, October 1, 2025.

• Varga, Lisa. “How the 2025 Government Shutdown Will Impact Libraries.” American Libraries, October 1, 2025.

• Marazzi Sassoon, Alessandro, and Alyce McFadden. “‘Bummed’ Visitors Are Turned Away From Closed Presidential Library.” New York Times, October 2, 2025. [paywall]

• Nayyar, Rhea. “Smithsonian Closes as Government Shutdown Enters Third Week.” Hyperallergic, October 14, 2025.

East Wing Demolition

• Press Release. “Statement on the Proposed Ballroom Addition at the White House.” Society of Architectural Historians, October 16, 2025.

• Gilmore, R. Grant. “Demolishing the White House East Wing to build a ballroom embodies Trump’s heritage politics.” The Conversation, October 23, 2025.

• Treisman, Rachel. “How presidents have changed the White House — and how Trump's ballroom is different.” NPR, October 23, 2025.

• Barajas, Joshua, and Dan Cooney. “The East Wing of the White House has been demolished. Here’s a look at its history.” PBS, October 24, 2025.

• Press Release. “AIA Condemns Demolition of the White House East Wing and Calls for Transparency in Public Architecture.” American Institute of Architects, October 24, 2025.

• Carrigan, Margaret, and Sarah Cascone. “Trump Fires Fine Arts Commission Overseeing Building Projects.” Artnet, October 29, 2025.

This issue of News Alerts was compiled by Caroline Clavell, Michele Jennings, Stephanie Kays, Torie Quiñonez, and Annie Sollinger.