The National Gallery of Art (NGA) in Washington, DC, has shuttered its doors and ceased all programming amid the ongoing government shutdown, which began last Monday, September 29. The museum is among the federally funded cultural sites affected by the impasse in government spending as Democrats and Republicans spar over healthcare. As the shutdown enters its second week, hundreds of thousands of federal workers across critical government agencies have been furloughed.Established by a Congressional mandate in 1937, the NGA operates as a private nonprofit museum in partnership with the federal government, receiving a substantial congressional appropriation each year. In 2024, the museum received $209 million in appropriations, which cover salaries, special exhibitions, and operational costs. It relies on private funding from sponsors for programming expenses and acquisitions. The museum remained open through Saturday, October 4, utilizing funds from the prior year. An announcement on the NGA website states that “all programs are canceled until further notice.” The NGA press email was unmonitored as of October 6.The NGA is expected to open a landmark exhibition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art on October 18. The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art is set to be the largest show of Australian Indigenous art outside its continent of origin.While the NGA closed by the beginning of the second week of the shutdown, the Smithsonian Institution extended its estimated closure date by five days. The institution initially said prior funds would allow its 21 museums and zoo to remain open through Monday, October 6. It will now remain open until Saturday, October 11, if the government shutdown continues. If the Smithsonian shuts down, “all non-excepted government employees are required to be furloughed,” a spokesperson told Hyperallergic.Sites controlled by the National Park Service are also closed during the shutdown as staff are furloughed, including the African Burial Ground in Manhattan. Private cultural institutions in the nation’s capital, such as the George Washington University Museum, remain open.The longest government shutdown in United States history took place from December 2018 to January 2019 and lasted 35 days. The NGA lost over a million in revenue during that period, according to some estimates. The Smithsonian reportedly lost millions in revenue as a result of its closure during the 2019 shutdown. A trust instrumentality of the US government, the Smithsonian has a higher appropriation than the NGA, at $1.09 billion last year.