Does Amy Sherald see her work as political? “Today I do. I don’t think that it's in its true nature from where it comes from inside of me,” she says. “But it lives in the world. And therefore, [it] can be art on Monday and political on Tuesday.” She says she backed out of an exhibition in July, after learning Smithsonian officials were concerned about this painting of a trans person posing as the Statue of Liberty, and wanted to display it alongside a video they said would “contextualize the piece.” The Trump administration had for months been criticizing the Smithsonian and had promised to review its exhibitions. #smithsonian #amysherald #american #political