The decision to cancel a solo exhibition featuring anti-ICE art at the University of North Texas art school was an “institutional directive,” Dean Karen Hutzel said in newly leaked transcripts of a faculty meeting. First reported by the Denton Record-Chronicle, the transcripts show Hutzel declining to identify the directive’s source while warning colleagues to expect a “media storm.” The College of Visual Arts and Design (CVAD) at the University of North Texas made national headlines earlier this month after abruptly canceling a solo exhibition by artist Victor “Marka27” Quiñonez, who quickly alleged censorship. The decision sparked a student protest against university leadership and prompted an open letter from UNT faculty demanding transparency about why the show was shut down. Related Articles In the leaked transcripts, Hutzel reportedly told employees that while the school’s administration might survive the reputational fallout, the college itself could become a target of elected officials with the power to allocate—or withhold—state funding. Amid escalating ideological clashes over university programs, Republican lawmakers in Texas can wield the budget to eliminate faculty and …