As accusations of censorship mount at museums nationwide, a new resource has emerged to help artists safeguard freedom of expression. The Artist’s Guide to Defending Artistic Freedom, from the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC), outlines strategies for artists facing canceled exhibitions, demands to alter works, and contract negotiations—situations that the guide notes are increasingly shaped by shrinking institutional space for risk-taking art.

In its introduction, the NCAC defines censorship broadly: when institutional leadership or “government actors” cancel or withdraw an invitation to present work over disagreement with its “perceived message,” or out of concern for public backlash. It also extends the definition to include works suppressed for the “socio-political positions” they express.