The National Humanities Foundation announced Thursday a grant program to support President Trump’s National Garden of Heroes, the first step in achieving one of his central priorities for the 250th anniversary of his independence in the United States.
According to the press release, the Garden was announced during Mr. Trump’s first semester and it will feature a life-size rendering of “the past 250 great people in the United States contribute to our cultural, scientific and political heritage.” “Now, the endowment requires that an “initial concept” of individual statues of artists who must be American citizens. Those selected will receive a reward of up to $200,000 per statue, which must be made of marble, granite, bronze, copper or brass.
All submissions must paint the figures of a long and compromise list of previous executive orders issued, including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln, Sacagawea, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Wright Brothers Jr. Trump also noted that modernist or abstract designs are not allowed to portray subjects in a “realistic” way.
While there is no website for the Garden, it will be a “public place where Americans can come together to learn and respect American heroes,” the release said. Under an earlier executive order, the responsibility for determining the final list of 250 people is that Vince Haley, chairman of the President’s Committee on Domestic Policy, is also overseeing the broader White House efforts related to the 250th anniversary.
The agency's release confirmed that the program will be reported with $34 million jointly committed by NEH and part of the National Foundation for the Arts, with each program budget of approximately $207 million.
The news comes weeks after a major reshuffle of the Humanities Foundation and is currently led by long-time employee Michael McDonald, who was former director Shelly Lowe, who became interim director under the guidance of Mr. Trump.
Following a visit from Elon Musk’s government efficiency department employees, the endowment allocated nearly two-thirds of its employees to about 180 employees and canceled most existing grants that supported museums, historic sites and community projects across the country. (The future of the Art Endowment Fund is unclear.)
These moves have sparked widespread outcry among humanities advocates who warned that they could undermine national and local programming in a bid to mark the national 250th anniversary. It also prompted concerns that some state humanities councils, especially in rural countries without a significant private philanthropic basis, would be forced to close completely.
Shortly after Thursday’s announcement about the Garden of Heroes in America, the National Humanities Foundation issued a separate update on its funding priorities, saying it aims to “return to the responsible housekeeper of taxpayer funds.” It said all future awards will be “performance-based, awarded programs that do not promote extreme ideology based on race or gender, and help instill an understanding of the fundamental principles and ideals that make the United States a prominent country.”
