Government Banned Words. Mixed Media: wood, enamel, chalkboard & magnetic paint. 2025

In February 2025, the Trump administration circulated a memo instructing U.S. government agencies to limit or avoid the use of nearly 350 words that did not align with its political agenda. Words as fundamental as woman, expression, and belong were among those targeted. Agencies were mandated to scrub these terms from their websites, remove from public platforms, and to reject grants that included them.

This work responds to that act of erasure. Each prohibited word is hand-painted onto magnetic pieces of wood, transforming language into movable fragments. Visitors are invited to interact with the work by rearranging the words, composing their own phrases, or leaving behind new combinations and commentaries.

By placing these censored words back into circulation—through touch, play, and dialogue—the piece underscores how vital language is to civic life. It highlights the fragility of expression under political pressure while affirming that words are not just tools of communication, but foundations of democracy itself.