“The discussion around such efforts has shown some of the typical – if muddied – ways people talk about the arts intersecting with politics. On the right, a common theme is that celebrity protests are only going to ensure Trump’s re-election by making his supporters feel condescended to. On the left, cultural anti-Trump efforts are being taken as examples of the kind of bold truth-telling Democratic operatives should mimic. Both frames prize electoral impact – policy influence now, voter persuasion for 2018 or 2020 – over all else. Which is a strange way to think about art, a form of communication that exists to do what other forms – political, commercial, journalistic – can’t.”