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IOWA CITY — Public Space One will offer a new $100,000 grant program, Banned but Not Silenced: Resisting Censorship Through Art and Activism, “in response to speech restrictions on university campuses by state and federal governments,” according to a press release issued by the nonprofit art organization.

Public Space One, in partnership with The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art, will undertake a multi-year project to explore presenting challenging (even banned) artwork in “repressive politicized environments.”

Through matching artists and activists with students and residents in the community, this collaborative project “aims to expand and platform dissent in a time when politics have limited what state-supported institutions can do,” the release said.

The project will consist of two initiatives that aim to research, document and “resist authoritarian repression, protect artistic expression, and defend vulnerable populations in Iowa.”

This work will occur in dialogue with the Stanley Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions through spring 2027, beginning with “Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity” and Sandra M. Sawatzky’s “The Black Gold Tapestry.”

"We are excited for the forward-thinking opportunity provided by both the Henry Luce Foundation and Stanley Museum of Art in this substantial commitment towards free expression. Our hope is for this to be a substantial program for Iowa students and residents as well as a model for similar collaborations between community organizations and larger institutions, regionally and throughout the country," said John Engelbrecht, PS1 executive director.

The two-year grant program is supported by the Henry Luce Foundation, which “supports innovative museum projects nationwide that advance the role of visual arts of the United States in an open and equitable society, and the potential of museums to serve as forums for art-centered conversations that celebrate creativity, explore difference, and seek common ground,” according to its website.

Potential participants can register their interest here or by contacting Public Space One at (319) 855-1985.