Amid ongoing cuts to arts and culture funding in the US, the State Department has published the grant application for the Venice Biennale’s US pavilion with a revised agenda insisting on the promotion of ‘American values and policies’ and on ‘countering negative stereotypes’.
The grant description has received significant edits since the last edition, that reflect the current administration’s battle against DEI. The 2023 grant said that applicants would be chosen on four main criteria, including ‘support of Equity and Underserved Communities’. This has now been replaced by ‘Promotes American Values’.
The application’s updated guidelines also stipulate that participants cannot ‘operate any programs promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that violate any applicable anti-discrimination laws.’
The application portal to submit proposals for the US pavilion of the 2026 Venice Biennale was made live by the State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) on 30 April, leaving a narrow timeline until the opening of the exhibition one year from now. The process to select an artist to represent the US at the Venice Biennale has mostly begun around 18 months before the exhibition opens, when the State Department posts the $375,000 grant online.
In addition, the position of assistant secretary at the ECA – the person generally in charge of coordinating the selection process – remains vacant amid budget cuts and hiring freezes within federal institutions.
Speaking of the upcoming edition to Vanity Fair, Kathleen Ash-Milby, cocommissioner of the 2024 pavilion, said: ‘If you were to say, “Well, what if they opened the portal in May?” that means they wouldn’t be notifying someone until October – and then you have to raise all the money and plan and get your reservations for all the different things, including shipping and storage and contractors and event spaces… The timeline that we were on was so incredibly tight. So I can’t even imagine how anyone could do it faster than we were forced to do.’
Jeffrey Gibson represented the US at the 2024 Biennale. Of Choctaw and Cherokee descent, the multidisciplinary artist often incorporates materials that reflect his heritage in his works, such as hides and bead work. He is the first Indigenous artist to have represented the US at the Venice Biennale in a solo show.
The 61st Venice Biennale, due to open 9 May, 2026, will be curated by Koyo Kouoh.
