The National Endowment for the Arts awarded $25,000 to the New West Symphony for "The Ronald Reagan Overture," part of a broader shift toward patriotic programming that's reshaping federal arts funding. The orchestral work, performed one month ago at Reagan's presidential library in Simi Valley, California, drew 600 attendees and featured excerpts from the 40th president's 1942 film "King's Row" and his 1987 "tear down this wall" speech to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.
The grant represents one of 50 the NEA distributed to cultural organizations creating artworks celebrating figures slated for inclusion in the "National Garden of American Heroes." President Donald Trump first proposed the sculpture park six years ago. The plan calls for 250 life-size statues of notable Americans including Reagan, Muhammad Ali, Susan B. Anthony and Elvis Presley, though construction remains in the proposal phase.
Funding Priorities Realigned
The performance took place against an enormous American flag in a lofty atrium, with Reagan's Air Force One suspended above the audience. Michael Christie, the symphony's music director, didn't mince words. "Stirring patriotism on America's birthday: That is a solid message. I'm proud of it." Audience member Theresa Brunasso said the work "reaches out to your heart" and "makes you so proud to be an American."
The NEA has placed particular emphasis on national pride during this anniversary year. In a statement, the endowment described the 250th anniversary as "an opportunity to celebrate our nation's rich artistic heritage and cultural legacy" through "many artistic disciplines and perspectives."
One year ago, the Trump Administration rescinded $21 million in NEA grants, according to arts advocacy nonprofit Americans for the Arts. The money was pulled from projects that didn't meet the administration's funding objectives, particularly those too focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The NEA eliminated the "Challenge America" grant program, which supported organizations focusing on "historically underserved communities that have limited access to the arts relative to geography, ethnicity, economics, and/or disability." The administration then prioritized grant applications focused on patriotic works like military band performances.
Arts Groups Adapt
Hundreds of arts organizations received emails one year ago suddenly informing them their grants had been terminated. The Chicago-based Sones de México Ensemble initially lost a $20,000 grant for concerts and education programs around corridos, a popular type of Mexican ballad. Juan Díes, the group's cofounder, said, "The argument was that it didn't fit the new guidelines under the new administration."
Díes looked down the list of proposed statue subjects and decided to adapt. "I picked eight people in U.S. history that I felt I could write a corrido about." He re-pitched the project using Trump Administration-approved subjects like aviator Amelia Earhart and baseball star Roberto Clemente. The grant came through. Díes wrote about Clemente: "Nunca agachó la cabeza y condenaba el racismo," which translates as, "Though he faced plenty of racism he never bowed down his head."
"I don't feel like we're compromising our goals or mission," Díes said. "By playing with the rules, we are able to give our perspective on the lives of these American heroes."
Competing Visions of Patriotism
David Lubin, a retired Wake Forest University professor who has written books about American art, politics and cultural propaganda, identified two forms of patriotism. "One is, 'My country, right or wrong,' that America is the greatest place on the face of the earth. And the other is the patriotic emotion of, 'We can do better. And it's our mission in life to keep hewing to the ideals of the origins of the country.'" Lubin said patriotic art can unite people around policies and ideologies, but when a country is as politically divided as the U.S. is today, such art often reinforces existing rifts. "It feeds into thought patterns that are already prevalent among half the population. Like preaching to the converted."
At the Reagan Museum and Library, Reagan Foundation spokesperson Melissa Giller said the 40th president believed patriotism could coexist with diverse perspectives. "He really believed in bipartisanship, always believed in reaching across the aisle." The foundation created a new Center on Civility and Democracy. "We were giving away free Civility Handbooks when people were checking in," Giller said. The handbook aims to help Americans engage in respectful dialogue in everyday situations. During intermission, people thumbed through the small paperback with its stars-and-stripes cover and slipped it into their purses and pockets.
Why This Matters:
The NEA's funding realignment reflects a fundamental debate about the proper use of taxpayer dollars in supporting the arts. The $21 million in rescinded grants one year ago represented a clear policy shift away from programming centered on identity-based classifications toward celebration of shared American heritage and achievement. Arts organizations now face a choice: adapt their programming to align with federal priorities or forgo federal funding. The Sones de México Ensemble's successful pivot demonstrates that patriotic themes can accommodate diverse artistic voices without compromising creative integrity. As the nation marks its 250th anniversary, the tension between unified national celebration and artistic pluralism will likely intensify. The Reagan Foundation's emphasis on civility and bipartisanship offers a potential model, though whether patriotic art can bridge America's political divisions or merely highlight them remains an open question with significant implications for cultural institutions dependent on federal support.