In this episode of ART IS CHANGE, Bill Cleveland shares next chapter in the continuing Weather Report, (now called the Arts Freedom Weather Report) Rather than chasing single headlines or isolated outrages, this episode steps back to examine the cultural climate shaping 2026: how small policy shifts stack up, how institutions quietly recalibrate under authoritarian pressure, and how artists and cultural organizations are responding in real time.

In this show, we explore three critical dynamics shaping the arts and democracy right now:

1. How culture is being strategically targeted and weaponized — through funding shifts, legal pressure, and narrative control.
2. What’s actually happening on the ground at the NEA, in public media, museums, universities, and courts.
3. How artists and organizers are responding with preparation, creativity, and discipline, treating resistance as a learned practice rather than a spontaneous reaction.

Listen in as we establish a cultural baseline for 2026 — one we’ll return to again and again — and map the early warning signs, fault lines, and sources of strength shaping the struggle for artistic freedom and democratic life.

Bill Cleveland

Host of ART IS CHANGE and founder of the Center for the Study of Art & Community.

Renee Nicole Goode

Minneapolis poet, mother, and community member whose work and life are honored at the close of the episode. (Minnesota Public Radio)

Sonia De Los Santos

Singer-songwriter and educator who stepped away from a Kennedy Center performance, citing concerns that the space no longer felt welcoming.

Stephen Schwartz

Composer of Wicked who withdrew from a Kennedy Center gala in protest of politicization.

Béla Fleck

Banjo innovator who canceled Kennedy Center appearances rather than participate in a politicized cultural space.

Chuck Redd

Jazz vibraphonist and bandleader who canceled his long-running Kennedy Center Christmas Eve jam.

The Cookers

Jazz ensemble that canceled its New Year’s Eve engagement at the Kennedy Center.

Wayne Tucker

Trumpeter and composer who withdrew from Kennedy Center programming.

Doug...