Tell U of North Texas: Restore Immigration-Inspired Art Exhibit, Protect Intellectual and Creative Freedom on Campus Now (Nat’l Campaign for Justice) A 2025 pro-Palestinian exhibit was also shut down.
The University of North Texas removed a nationally touring art exhibition inspired by immigration and personal experience with ICE after only one week on display. Gallery windows were covered. The artist received a brief email terminating the agreement. No clear public explanation was provided.
The exhibit did not violate university policy. UNT’s own rules require that decisions about art exhibitions align with the First Amendment and principles of academic freedom. Yet the installation was shut down abruptly, raising serious concerns about censorship.
This is not the first time politically sensitive art has been removed at UNT. In 2025, part of a pro-Palestinian exhibit was taken down following complaints from Republican politicians. When political pressure influences what students are allowed to see and discuss, academic freedom is weakened.
Universities are supposed to be spaces where complex issues are explored, challenged, and debated. Art about migration, identity, state power, and belonging belongs in higher education because it fosters critical thinking and civic engagement.
If institutions retreat from difficult conversations, they fail their students. Creative freedom is not optional in higher education.
Send a message to the University of North Texas President Harrison Keller demanding transparency, restoration of the exhibit, and a clear commitment to protecting intellectual and creative freedom on campus now.
Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement 