Organized by artists Antonia Wright and Ruben Millares, Banned Pending Investigation is a community-based artwork that addresses the alarming rise of book bans in the U.S. The project took place in Florida, which led the nation in school book bans for three consecutive years, according to PEN America. In collaboration with the Books & Books Literary Foundation, the artists built a wall of currently and historically banned books at Books & Books in Coral Gables, Florida, during Banned Books Week, October 5–11, 2025.
On the last day, local high school students, who are most vulnerable to book bans, ran through the wall and knocked it down. The audience was then invited to take a banned book home. By tearing down walls of books with our bodies, we physically and metaphorically tackle the societal and bureaucratic barriers that continuously devalue the arts and education in our society.
