A Blueprint for American Cultural Renewal

Why we should save the NEA and NEH and what to do with them

Fights over the NEA and NEH, and public funding for arts and culture more generally, are nothing new. Since their inception in 1965 and the passage of The National Foundation for the Arts and Humanities Act, the American people and their representatives have been in a constant tug-of-war over how to appropriately balance the importance of cultivating a national culture against the problem of how that culture is defined and by whom.

In 1989, the controversies surrounding Andres Serrano’s “Piss Christ” and Robert Mapplethorpe’s “The Perfect Moment”—both supported by grants from the NEA—became flashpoints in this debate, and struck at the core of the American people’s concerns over the use of their tax dollars to support the arts. Conservatives rightly began to wonder whether it was possible to sustain these programs and promote a national culture in a way that wouldn’t inevitably succumb to ideological capture, moral and political degradation, and outright waste.

By the mid-90s the issue came to a head when a newly elected Republican congress sought to dismantle these agencies and phase them out completely over a two year window. This outcome was ultimately forestalled, but not without deep cuts to agency budgets and significantly stricter grant guidelines.

Today, we face a similar decision point. After a decade of near total ideological capture by liberal activists, the NEA/NEH and other federal cultural programs are once again on the chopping block. The newly elected MAGA administration, along with both houses of Congress, and its clear mandate from the American people to enact its vision for the country, must decide whether to do away with these programs all together, or attempt to restore their mission to curate a proud and authentic expression of American cultural identity.

The path forward hinges on two fundamental questions:

1. Does the state have a legitimate role in fostering a national culture and ensuring the dissemination and preservation of that cultural knowledge, or should this responsibility be left entirely to private institutions and market forces?

2. If the state does have such a role, are the existing agencies—the NEA and NEH—along with their current leadership, the appropriate instruments for this task?

On the first question, critics present a strong case that the United States government has no business in shaping a national culture. They argue that such endeavors, in practice, become vehicles for ideological extremism, consistently co-opted by political activists who use government resources to promote cultural narratives that are hostile to the values, traditions, and beliefs of the majority of Americans. They will contend that this is not only an improper use of taxpayer dollars and a gross overreach of government responsibilities, but also a subsidy for individuals and groups actively working to erode our values and way of life.

However, withdrawing from the cultural battlefield is not a neutral act; it is an act of surrender. Public investment in the arts and humanities is crucial not only for preserving a shared national identity but also for countering the forces that seek to divide and redefine the country according to their own ideological imperatives. The absence of government engagement in culture does not mean the absence of cultural formation—it merely cedes the ground entirely to entrenched private interests, academia, and legacy media, all of which have demonstrated a relentless commitment to zeroing-out the remaining balance of our cultural heritage.

The notion that eliminating public funding will lead to a more organic or ideologically neutral cultural environment is a naive illusion. The institutions that currently dominate cultural production will persist, more or less unchallenged, advancing their agenda with little regard for their popularity or the continued divestment from cultural life by the general public. Abandoning the fight is not the same as winning it. If conservatives wish to reclaim and restore American culture, they must actively engage with the institutions that shape it. They must have a clear vision, a concrete strategy, and the resolve to use the tools available—including the NEA and NEH—to enact that vision.

This is not simply an opportunity for the Trump administration; it is an obligation. Reclaiming the NEA and NEH from their current leadership and redirecting them toward a cultural program that truly serves the American people is as essential to the MAGA agenda as any economic, immigration, or foreign policy initiative.

As to the second question, the answer is clear: the NEA and NEH remain powerful vehicles for cultural influence, but their existing leadership and personnel have long abandoned their duty to serve the nation as a whole. In their current form, these agencies function as extensions of a hostile cultural elite, animated by a perverse ideology that denies bedrock reality at the same time it demonizes the American story, and seeks revolutionary upheaval of our most sacred beliefs. If these institutions are to fulfill their intended purpose, they must be fundamentally restructured, reoriented, and placed under leadership that is genuinely committed to fostering a culture that reflects the history, values, and identity of the American people.

A successful reclamation of the NEA and NEH will depend not only on policy but on personnel. Leadership must be selected with care, ensuring that those entrusted with overseeing these agencies are wedded to a positive cultural vision. This means identifying individuals with the intellectual and moral clarity to resist ideological capture, as well as the strategic wherewithal to implement a transformative agenda in the face of inevitable resistance from entrenched bureaucratic interests. Choose fast, but more importantly, choose wisely.

Personnel alone of course is not enough. These agencies must be given a new mandate—one that explicitly prioritizes the promotion of American cultural excellence, the preservation of our nation’s artistic and historical legacy, and the fostering of a shared civic identity. This cannot be achieved through vague platitudes about “inclusivity” or “diversity” that have long been weaponized against the very people these institutions are meant to serve. Instead, it requires a deliberate and unapologetic assertion of national character through funding initiatives that celebrate America’s artistic, literary, and historical achievements, revitalize neglected cultural traditions, and ensure that public resources are no longer directed toward those who seek to dismantle our nation’s heritage.

To that end, the administration must pursue a bold and comprehensive cultural agenda, identifying specific programs and priorities that will restore the NEA and NEH, as well as other government funded cultural initiatives, to their rightful function. This moment calls for a wholesale cultural revival, from historic exhibitions and public art, to education, literature, and media initiatives that embrace the best and most vital aspects of our national identity. Below is a list of eleven initiatives that should be considered in the effort to reshape these agencies into institutions that serve, rather than subvert the American people.

1. America250

America’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence is right around the corner. This is a seminal event in our nation’s history, and provides the unique opportunity to firmly declare our national identity, our heritage, our stories, who we are, and where we are going.

The current Semiquincentennial Commission does not inspire confidence to make the most of this opportunity. Its public statements so far lack clarity or any kind of inspiring vision. We cannot depend on this commission to execute on this enormous undertaking. The Trump administration must either reconstitute the commission as an immediate first step, or else make plans to bypass it entirely and assemble personnel and resources to deliver a proper celebration outside of its purview.

This event should be the main priority for our cultural efforts over the next two years. A detailed program and plan for the semiquincentennial will be the subject of a follow-up article. Here is a longer post I did on this a few months ago. In short: this should be an all-hands-on-deck, once-in-a-lifetime celebration worthy of the momentous occasion.

2. Old, Weird America

A traveling exhibit celebrating the strange, idiosyncratic, and deeply rooted traditions that have long thrived on the margins of our mainstream culture. This initiative would recognize and support the folk artists, storytellers, and institutions that keep alive the “weird” spirit of medicine shows, traveling carnivals, and vaudeville; professional wrestlers, strong-men, lion tamers, and gunslingers; jug bands, shape-note singing, and backwoods fiddling; outlaw moonshiners and folk magicians; roadside curiosity cabinets, dime museums, and spirit photography.

This would also include an exploration of America’s “X-Files.” Our cultural landscape has long been shaped by its deep fascination with the unknown—the liminal territory between the physical world and our imaginations. From the spiritualist séances of the 19th century to the UFO frenzy of Roswell, the country has cultivated a rich folklore of conspiracy, mysticism, and the supernatural. This initiative would celebrate the uniquely American tradition of questioning official narratives and seeking meaning in the strange and unexplained.

It would explore the legends of cryptids like Bigfoot, the Jersey Devil, and Mothman. It would highlight the secret societies like the Freemasons and the Bohemian Grove that have fueled generations of speculation about the hidden powers that rule the world. It would preserve the stories of the dreamers and outcasts—figures like John Keel, whose writings on UFOs and high strangeness blurred the line between fact and myth, or Manly P. Hall, whose obsession with esoteric wisdom shaped the mystical undercurrents of American thought, or Art Bell, the late-night radio host whose Coast to Coast AM became the nation’s most essential portal into the world of conspiracy theories, paranormal encounters, and extraterrestrial speculation.

By funding research, exhibitions, and performances dedicated to these eclectic and oft-forgotten traditions, this initiative would not only preserve America’s wild, untamed cultural past but ensure that its strange and vibrant soul continues to shape the future.

3. The Future Arts Project

Grants that support boundary-pushing and experimental art that expand the Overton Window of creative expression while remaining rooted in the values, legacy, and risk-taking inherent to our national identity. Too often, innovation in the arts has been ceded to those who reject our heritage and seek to vandalize it, but experimentation and artistic boldness need not be in opposition to honoring who we are and what we came from.

This initiative would support new artists pushing the limits of form and media, including new technologies and distribution platforms, especially those who operate outside the institutional art world—from immersive public performances to radical reinterpretations of classical techniques. It would fund site-specific installations, experimental theater, and bold new movements in visual, literary, and musical composition, fostering an artistic renaissance that embraces audacity, intellectual rigor, and deep engagement with history and myth.

Throughout history, avant-garde movements have driven artistic evolution—from the Futurists, to literary modernists, to the pioneers of abstract expressionism and multimedia storytelling—ensuring that culture does not stagnate but is constantly renewed. America must cultivate its next generation of visionaries, artists who dare to challenge convention while still building upon the great traditions and narratives that define us.

4. American Foundations

A homeschool curriculum that immerses students in American history, literature, art, and film while reinforcing civic and cultural values. It would introduce young learners to folktales, historical documents, and classic literature like The Last of the Mohicans, Little House on the Prairie, and Huckleberry Finn. Older students would study foundational texts such as The Mayflower Compact, John Winthrop’s “City Upon a Hill”, Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death”, and key Revolutionary-era writings, including Common Sense and The Federalist Papers. The curriculum would also explore American art and music, along with films that reflect the national experience, like Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The Searchers. This initiative would provide a well-rounded, civic-minded education, fostering both historical understanding and an appreciation for our national heritage, that could be delivered to students across the country at any age group and in any educational setting.

5. Red Flags

This exhibit critically examines the Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) as a time not just of reform, but of radical agitation, political violence, and ideological extremism. As industrialization advanced, militant labor movements and anarchist groups resorted to bombings, assassinations, and mass strikes in pursuit of their revolutionary goals. The exhibit explores the Los Angeles Times bombing of 1910, in which union extremists killed 21 people. It revisits the Sacco and Vanzetti case, where two Italian anarchists—executed for their role in an armed robbery and murder—became posthumous revolutionary icons, despite overwhelming evidence of their guilt. The 1919 Red Scare and a wave of anarchist bombings targeting government officials underscored that these radicals sought not just labor rights, but the complete overthrow of American society.

Through archival footage, radical pamphlets, court transcripts, and law enforcement records, this exhibit reveals how these extremist movements worked to destabilize democracy and push America toward foreign-inspired revolutionary upheaval.

6. Live on Main Street

This initiative seeks to revitalize American theater, particularly in small towns and rural communities, by providing grants, resources, and support for local productions that celebrate the nation’s rich theatrical and musical heritage. At the heart of the program is a commitment to bringing live performance back to Main Street, restoring local theaters as cultural hubs where communities can gather to watch classic American plays and selections from the Great American Songbook. Grants would fund performances of works by playwrights such as Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, and Eugene O’Neill, as well as classic Broadway productions that defined American storytelling. Additionally, the initiative would support concerts featuring the music from the likes of George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Stephen Foster, Scott Joplin, and others.

Finally, this initiative would also introduce a Traveling Debates Program, bringing spirited, civil discourse on important national issues to local theaters and community centers. Modeled after the great public forums of early America, these live events would feature scholars, writers, and public intellectuals engaging in structured, participatory debates on pressing political, cultural, and historical questions. By hosting these debates in small-town theaters and historic venues, the program would restore the tradition of public argument as a civic art.

7. The Garden of American Heroes

A national public art project honoring the bold pioneers, warriors, statesmen, visionaries, and innovators who shaped the United States through courage, ingenuity, and action. The vast outdoor park would feature commissioned sculptures and public art pieces paying tribute to the great military leaders and fearless lawmen who upheld order and defended American ideals, our frontiersman and settlers who stretched our borders across the vast American wilderness, as well as technologists and inventors, our aviators and astronauts, the great industrialists and business leaders whose ambition and innovation built the nation’s economic power, our sports heroes, our great scientists, our builders and doers. Rather than reflecting passing ideological trends or quotas, this collection would be guided by a single standard: extraordinary achievement in service to the nation.

8. The Library of American Pulp

This program would focus on preserving and celebrating the raw, imaginative, and uniquely American storytelling traditions found in pulp fiction, folk narratives, science fiction, fantasy, horror, noir, romance, and adventure literature. This initiative would publish definitive, archival-quality editions of works by the likes of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, and the frontier sagas of Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey. It would also revive the forgotten voices of folk storytelling, tall tales, dime novels, and serialized pulp fiction. By curating and preserving these works, the Library would safeguard America’s core literary traditions, honoring the authors who defined the country’s popular imagination.

9. American Odyssey

A children’s television/film initiative that brings American history to life through compelling storytelling, adventure, and character-driven narratives, instilling a love of country while showcasing the courage, ingenuity, and perseverance that shaped the nation. Episodes would explore great explorations, frontier survival, scientific breakthroughs, industrial innovation, and pivotal battles, presenting figures like Daniel Boone, Sacagawea, Lewis and Clark, Clara Barton, and the Wright brothers in a way that is engaging and accessible. Story arcs could follow a group of young travelers experiencing key moments in history firsthand, blending live-action dramatizations, animation, and documentary elements to create an immersive experience. Themes of self-reliance, bravery, hard work, and resilience would be central, inspiring children to see themselves as part of an ongoing American story. By incorporating folk tales, tall tales, and legends alongside historical fact, the series would also preserve the mythic and adventurous spirit that has always been central to the American experience.

10. Digital Age Art

The Internet has unleashed an explosion of strange, surprising, and innovative cultural and intellectual achievements, reshaping how culture is created, consumed, and understood. From the rise of meme culture to the “found art” of YouTube, from troll humor to independent scholarship, the internet has democratized artistic expression in ways unimaginable just decades ago. Independent creators, freed from traditional gatekeepers, have pioneered new forms of storytelling, rivaling the depth and influence of established media. The blurred line between high and low culture has given birth to absurdist humor, vaporwave music, and experimental video essays, while blogs, forums, and social media communities have revolutionized the way ideas form and evolve. The internet Age has proven to be an era of radical experimentation, participatory culture, and intellectual reinvention that deserves a broader examination than what we have so far produced.

11. America: The Story of a Nation

This capstone initiative would produce a sweeping documentary series, in the tradition of Kenneth Clark’s Civilisation, that explores the history of American culture as a grand narrative of creativity, ambition, and innovation. Spanning literature, music, art, architecture, film, philosophy, and popular traditions, the series would trace the evolution of the American identity—from the sermons of the Puritans to the jazz of New Orleans, from the novels of Melville and Hawthorne to the rise of Hollywood, from the folk traditions of Appalachia to the skyscrapers of New York. Each episode would examine how artists, writers, musicians, and visionaries shaped and responded to the American experience.

More than a chronology, this series would tell the story of American culture as an epic tale of exploration, triumph, and reinvention, revealing how its defining values manifested in the arts. This documentary would be both a celebration of American achievement and a deep reflection on the forces that shaped its cultural landscape, offering a definitive account of America’s artistic and intellectual legacy.

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These initiatives are just a start. Given the right leadership and personnel at these agencies, as well as the focus and will to get things done, a lot more is possible. I’m confident the Trump admin can do this, but it only makes sense if they are willing to go all in. No half measures. These agencies, and our approach to culture, needs to be totally restructured.

If you have your own idea for cultural programming, please leave it in the comments below. You might be surprised who might see it.