07/04/2026
We owe an apology to our supporters, friends, and those who have criticized our decision to participate in the Great American State Fair event. We understand why many people were disappointed, and we want to explain how we arrived at that decision. For more than 20 years and one thousand performances, Cirque Mechanics has operated with the understanding that art belongs to everyone. When the National Endowment for the Arts invited us to perform from June 25 through July 10, we accepted because we saw it as an opportunity to celebrate the arts, reach new audiences, and help elevate circus arts as a respected artistic discipline. We viewed it as an artistic decision, not a political one. It is also important to understand that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is not an arm of any presidential administration. Since it’s creation by Congress in 1965, the NEA has supported artist and arts organizations across the country. And while the current president attempted to defund the agency, Congress continued to fund the NEA through the appropriations process, making its participation in the America 250 celebrations possible. In hindsight, we underestimated how our participation would be perceived. We also did not fully understand the extent to which Freedom 250 had assumed control of this event, until we arrived on site, nor were we aware of the circumstances that led to that transition. We should have done more homework before accepting the invitation. We DO understand that this is deeply troubling for many, and it has been heartbreaking to see some people interpret that choice as a political endorsement. IT IS NOT. We remain committed to creating work that welcomes everyone and to advancing the art form we love.
7h
