The Arts Advocacy Project at the National Coalition Against Censorship in New York invites you to participate in a brief (7 minutes) survey that will help us to continue to gather wider and more up-to-date first-hand knowledge from curators about the various obstacles they face.

When censorship controversies hit the press, they are dramatic and highly public. But what about the internal pressures that precede an exhibition that can lead to self-censorship due to fears of lost funding, the need to please board members, or to avoid the ire of political activism groups? These pressures remain mostly invisible, but they affect curatorial decisions more deeply than the headline-grabbing incidents.

Looking beyond their mission statements, are cultural institutions truly arenas for free speech? What pressures do curators face in preparing difficult, potentially controversial shows, and how do they respond to these pressures? What are the consequences of online outrage campaigns? How do institutions deal with threats of violence?

These are some of the complex questions we asked over 40 established US and international curators and museum directors, examining the social, economic and institutional constraints they face. Your participation in this brief survey will supplement the final report and handbook on navigating curatorial pressures.

Responses to the survey questions will be included in the final analysis in our forthcoming publication (available in November 2018 in both print and as an e-book): Smart Tactics: Curating Difficult Content (A Report and Handbook).

Your name and responses will be kept strictly confidential unless you indicate otherwise in the survey. To express our gratitude for your participation, we will send you a link to the digital galley of Smart Tactics.

It would be wonderful if you could share the link to this survey with colleagues. Many thanks from the Arts Advocacy team for your help with this project!

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* 1. Where do you work? (institution size, region, size of the city?) (check all that apply)

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* 2. What is your career point?

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* 3. Is your museum director an effective advocate for your vision when it touches upon controversial material? (If you are a museum director yourself, please self-evaluate.)

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* 4. Have administrators/ development/ P.R. /trustees /other put pressure on you to modify or cancel an artwork or exhibition because of content /subject-matter /personal issues regarding the artist or speaker? If so, who? (check all that apply)

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* 5. What was the justification? (check all that apply)

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* 6. Have you modified exhibition labels or other materials framing the show due to controversial subject-matter? If yes, was it due to external pressure or was it your decision?

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* 7. Have you modified an exhibition in terms of arrangement or added labels because of the presence of children?

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* 8. In your experience, what kind of subject matter draws the most controversy? (choose up to three)

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* 9. Have you personally avoided presenting an artist /artwork /event /speaker because of because of controversy around them and/or perceived difficulty /sensitivity of subject-matter /political positioning?

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* 10. Is there any particular subject matter that you, personally, would not even consider exhibiting? (If yes, please specify)

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* 11. Whom do you have in mind when assessing potential controversy?

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* 12. What advice can you offer to other curators working with potentially controversial or difficult subject matter?

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* 13. To receive a link to 'Smart Tactics: Curating Difficult Content (Report & Handbook)', please leave your email address below, along with your name, position and affiliation. Please indicate if you wish to remain anonymous in our final report.

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