State Department removes Kehinde Wiley painting from Dominican Republic embassy
The U.S. State Department took down a Kehinde Wiley artwork from the embassy in the Dominican Republic, labeling it “very woke” and “aesthetically terrifying.”
The State Department stripped a 2013 Kehinde Wiley canvas titled Young Artists After Siamesas 1960 from the U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic, covering it first with a flag-printed tarp. Erin Scavino, a former contestant on The Apprentice and head of the Art in Embassies program, boasted about the removal on Sean Spicer’s podcast, calling the work “very woke” and “aesthetically terrifying.” Ambassador Leah Campos celebrated the purge on social media, accusing the painting of spreading “globalist and woke ideologies.”
When asked for comment, a department spokeswoman referenced a 2023 quote by Wiley about a different painting, suggesting his “violent and racist words” have no place in the “America First” State Department. Critics, including former Art in Embassies director Virginia Shore, dismissed the “woke” label and highlighted the program’s long-standing role in cultural diplomacy. The incident follows a broader effort by Trump appointees to overhaul embassy art, including rapid removals in Bucharest and a flag-themed exhibit in Washington, D.C.
Why it matters
It shows how U.S. cultural diplomacy is being reshaped by political ideology, affecting international perception of American values.
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