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University of North Texas administrators removed artist's ICE-critical exhibit to avoid Texas legislature backlash

University of North Texas President Harrison Keller and then-Provost Michael McPherson had artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez's ICE-critical exhibition "Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá" removed from the CVAD Gallery in Denton, Texas, around February 9-11, 2026, days after it opened February 3. Leaked text messages show McPherson said removing the show would make it "easier to manage any barking from our friends in Austin," a reference to the Texas legislature, even though UNT's own art policy bars viewpoint-based censorship.

Jurisdiction
Texas
Location
Denton, Texas

Abuses documented

Actors

  • Harrison Keller (President, University of North Texas)
  • Michael McPherson (then-Provost, University of North Texas)

On or around February 9-11, 2026, University of North Texas President Harrison Keller and then-Provost Michael McPherson had artist Victor "Marka27" Quiñonez's exhibition "Ni De Aquí, Ni De Allá" removed from the CVAD Gallery in Denton, Texas, days after it opened February 3. The show included works from Quiñonez's "I.C.E. Scream" series — resin sculptures shaped like Mexican paletas containing objects such as handcuffs and a parody U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seal reading "U.S. Inhumane and Cruelty Enforcement."

Text messages obtained by the Denton Record-Chronicle through public records requests show McPherson telling Keller on February 6 that removing the exhibit entirely, rather than just select pieces, would make it "easier to manage any barking from our friends in Austin," a reference to the Texas legislature. Dean Karen Hutzel of the College of Visual Arts and Design told university communications staff the show was "coming down" by February 9; official messaging to press shifted from citing an unspecified "updated policy" to citing "concerns about potential disruption" by February 11. UNT's own written art policy states the university "does not discriminate against works of art based on its content or the viewpoint(s) expressed" and permits only content-neutral restrictions.

UNT has not issued a public statement explaining the closure. The removal came amid a broader rollback of diversity and free-expression protections at Texas public universities following the 2025 passage of Senate Bill 37, which lets politically appointed boards review course content touching race, gender, and inequality.

Why we recorded this

Freedom of expression at public institutions is a First Amendment cornerstone — government bodies may not suppress protected speech because of its viewpoint. University of North Texas administrators removed artist Victor Quiñonez's ICE-critical exhibit specifically because of its political content, citing a desire to avoid backlash from the state legislature, even though UNT's own policy explicitly bars viewpoint-based art censorship. This erodes the norm by showing a public university disregarding its own constitutional commitments under political pressure, chilling protected artistic and political expression on campus.

Sources

  1. An artist's 'I.C.E. pop' exhibition was shut down within days at a Texas university — NPR primary accessed July 13, 2026
  2. Records and texts detail UNT leaders' decision to close exhibit with artwork criticizing ICE — KERA News / Denton Record-Chronicle investigative accessed July 13, 2026

See also