As federal funding cuts and policy shifts ripple across the U.S., many arts and cultural organizations are bracing for – or already feeling – the fallout.
In particular, the rollback of support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, along with heightened scrutiny of the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, has shaken confidence in longstanding support structures. Museums, performance spaces and grant-funded programs from Louisiana to California have already reported terminations of funding.
But in Southern Arizona, it’s a different story. Here, a resilient arts community, cross-sector innovation and deep-rooted civic involvement are helping the region power through the changes.
“There’s definitely volatility right now,” said Adriana Gallego, CEO of the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona. “These have been historically vital funding sources that are now under increased scrutiny or they’re being scaled back. That uncertainty ripples down to us, as so many arts organizations in Southern Arizona have relied on these national programs.”
Gallego, who returned to Southern Arizona after leadership roles in arts policy and cultural programming across the country, knows firsthand how interconnected federal dollars are to local arts. Not only do Tucson’s artists and organizations rely on direct grants from the NEA and IMLS, she explained, but arts initiatives also frequently benefit from cross-sector collaborations – federal money earmarked for public health, education and youth programs that integrate the arts.
“When that support doesn’t land,” she said, “it also affects our ability to distribute funds through other programs at the Arts Foundation.”
Yet, while the national landscape has grown more precarious, Tucson’s creative sector is not retreating. If anything, it’s becoming more visible – and more valued – by the community it serves.
A 2024 “State of Culture” report released by the city of Tucson revealed the true scale of the sector’s impact. Arts and culture contribute $4.1 billion annually to the city’s economy and support more than 52,000 jobs. These are not abstract figures, Gallego stressed. They represent working artists, educators, gallery staff, technicians and administrators who make Tucson’s cultural heartbeat steady and strong.
“Tucson is a very special case,” she said. “We have such an incredibly rich and thriving arts and culture community, and we see support for the arts from our local government, from businesses, and most importantly, from each other. There is a big mutual sense of being here that creates social cohesion through the arts. But we’re just as subject to the economic priorities the rest of the country is facing.”
Nevertheless, Tucson’s art organizations aren’t caving in to political pushback.
“Inclusion is ingrained in our DNA,” said Chris Gordon, interim director and longtime CFO/COO at the Tucson Museum of Art and Historic Block (TMA). “Some of our funders have been asking if we’re doing any policy changes, and if anything, we’re leaning into our core values even more. Inclusion and representation of your community – I can’t see the negative in that in any way.”
For the TMA, diversity, equity and inclusion aren’t just targeted buzzwords to be scraped from its website to dodge federal funding cuts, they’re foundational to how the institution operates. Gordon described the museum’s popular First Thursday and Second Sunday “pay what you wish” admission days as central to building equity.
“We try to lower the barriers that may be there for any individual,” he said. “If you can’t afford admission, no problem – come in and enjoy the exhibitions.” These days aren’t just free admission; they’re lively cultural events, with art-making activities and performances designed to welcome families and first-time visitors.
But inclusion at TMA goes deeper than ticket prices. Under the leadership of Marianna Pegno, TMA’s director of engagement and inclusion, the museum has become a national leader in developing community-based curation – a polyvocal approach that invites local communities to co-create exhibitions alongside curators.
“We are still working to embed equity, inclusion and polyvocal approaches within our operations, exhibitions and programming,” Pegno assured. “Fortunately, these values and ideals are strongly rooted within the museum.”
TMA’s “Divergence of Legacy” exhibit, which reimagines the American West beyond traditional cowboy-and-cactus tropes, is its first large-scale show developed using this model. It’s part of a larger three-phase project that will also involve a gallery reinstallation and a collections publication in 2025. The initiative has already gained national traction: TMA recently won a prestigious Museum Impact Award from the American Alliance of Museums for its community-based curatorial efforts.
“Truthfully, it also helps that this work and its related impact, both locally and broadly on the field of museums, is getting national and international recognition,” Pegno said. “I anticipate that federal funding to support community-engaged practices and polyvocality will wane. But since they are ingrained on multiple levels in the work we are doing, I am confident that we will continue to do this work, care for our relationships with communities and partner organizations, since it is the way we do business.”
Gordon noted that one unexpected advantage for the Tucson Museum of Art is that it is not heavily reliant on federal funding, which has shielded it from the immediate impacts of recent national cutbacks. “We’re fortunate, in a way,” he said. “We don’t have any direct federal grants at the moment.”
That decision, he explained, was made intentionally about 18 months ago – well before all the current tumult. The museum had previously received grants from major federal sources like the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) but chose to pause those relationships. “It’s a lot of work to execute and maintain a federal grant,” Gordon said, noting the administrative load and compliance demands that come with such funding.
While this has meant fewer direct resources in the short term, it has also given the museum more flexibility and less vulnerability to politically driven shifts in arts policy. Still, Gordon acknowledged the secondary effects of federal pullbacks – such as reduced state or pass-through funding – are being watched closely.
“It still remains to be seen,” he said. “We’re in the midst of it right now, so we don’t really know what the long-term impact will be.”
Gallego is quick to point out that Tucson’s arts sector isn’t just about aesthetics or entertainment. It’s also a tool for civic resilience and even an infrastructure for well-being.
“Art is a gift we give ourselves for the hard work we put into society,” she said. “It helps us see our own reality in a new way. It’s a way to democratize access to creativity, which is one of the most fundamentally human things we have.”
The Arts Foundation recently launched the new iteration of its SaludArte program in collaboration with the Pima County Health Department. The initiative pairs artists with communities to address public health challenges – in this case, reducing stigma around substance use. “This is educational, community-rooted art that lifts people at every level – from the individual to the policy level,” Gallego said.
Other programs have matched artists with non-arts sectors to provide creative consulting and facilitation, hiring artists not just as performers, but as problem-solvers.
“If there’s a job opening, hire an artist,” Gallego said, pushing for policymakers and business leaders to recognize the long-term value of investing in creative labor – not just for what it produces, but for how it helps societies think, feel and evolve. “They’ll bring something magical to the table.”
Balancing the needs of grassroots artists with those of long-established institutions is a challenge in any city. But Gallego sees it as essential to the health of Tucson’s cultural economy.
“We support everyone from the lone artist in their studio to the large institution staging exhibitions,” she said. “Our stART mini-grants help seed new ideas. Our Open Studio Tours bring residents and tourists face-to-face with artists where the magic happens.”
Meanwhile, the Arts Foundation’s Public Art and Community Design Committee ensures that civic art isn’t just dropped into neighborhoods, but built with them.
“Community voices are reflected in public art selection processes,” she said. “It’s about education, transparency and policy inclusion.”
Despite the headwinds from Washington, Gallego remains upbeat. “Artists are resilient,” she said. “They’re nimble, agile, creative. If there’s a solution, we’ll figure it out. We may not solve every political or economic crisis in our lifetime, but we won’t get to the core of them without art.”
