Indiana University: University Cancels Art Exhibit Featuring Palestinian Artist

In December 2023, Indiana University told Palestinian artist Samia Halaby it was canceling a planned exhibit of her work at the university’s Eskenazi Museum of Art, previously scheduled to open Feb. 10, 2024, due to staff complaints about her pro-Palestinian social media advocacy. A university spokesman later cited “concerns about guaranteeing the integrity of the exhibit for its duration” as grounds for the cancellation. On Jan. 19, 2024, FIRE wrote the university to urge it to reschedule the exhibit, stressing that canceling it based on Halaby’s political views constitutes impermissible viewpoint discrimination, and to remind IU that it must take steps to ensure the exhibit’s integrity if there are genuine concerns in that regard.