What we do
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) defends and advances the right to artistic freedom, providing practical resources and support to artists and cultural workers, so they can live and work safely, free from fear.
Protect
ARC provides direct assistance to at-risk artists and connects them with an international network of organizations and resources.
Advocate
ARC monitors, documents, and advocates for artists targeted for their creative expression, social justice efforts, or human rights work. ARC defends and promotes artistic freedom around the world.
Amplify
ARC raises awareness about the challenges facing artists and cultural workers, and leads global calls for safeguarding the right to artistic freedom through storytelling, campaigns, publications, podcasts, and events.
Featured news from ARC
Artist
stories
Stories of at-risk artists from all over the world who are committed to protecting their right to freedom of expression and using their art to fight for justice.
Afghanistan
Zahra Abrahimi
Vietnam
Mai Khoi
Chad
Taigué Ahmed
Hong Kong
Franki C.
Nigeria
DJ Switch
United States
Dread Scott
Where we work
We support artists wherever they face danger or repression, working with more than 400 local and international partner organizations to ensure that no creative voice is silenced, regardless of geography or circumstances.
Africa
Latin America & The Caribbean
Asia & The Pacific
Middle East & North Africa
Europe
North America
INSTAGRAM FEED
🌍How can artists across Africa navigate growing pressure on artistic freedom?
And what does it take to build stronger systems of support?
These are some of the questions that shaped the 2026 Pan African Network on Artistic Freedom Summit last month in Addis Ababa.
Artists, cultural leaders, civil society actors, and policymakers examined the realities artists face and the power structures shaping creative ecosystems. The summit culminated in four collaborative working groups focused on residencies and relocation, legislative reform, research, and digital and physical mobility.
With more than 80 participants, PANAF 2026 moved beyond conversation toward meaningful coordination. ARC was proud to serve as a summit partner and help guide this collective effort.
Because protecting artists requires more than visibility. It requires coordination, dedicated infrastructure, and long-term commitments.
Thank you to long-time ARC collaborators Sarra Maali and Lisa Sidambe & shoutout to artists, Javan the Poet, Kane Limam, Monza, Khalid Albaih, Mazin Peter, Mwanangwa Zombe, Navio, and Spontaneous the Poet. As well as patterns Selam, Al Mawred, ARTVEDA Culture Funding Watch, Unchained Vibes Africa, and Safe Havens Freedom Talks, AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network), the Zambia National Visual Arts Council, as well as Hon Topsy Sonoo Oureveena (African Union’s Special Rapporteur for Artistic Freedom) to share experiences and strategies for strengthening artistic freedom.
#ArtistsUnderThreat #FreedomOfExpression #ArtForChange
#SupportArtists #ArtistProtection #ARCinAfrica #ArtisticFreedom #GlobalSolidarity
🌍How can artists across Africa navigate growing pressure on artistic freedom?
And what does it take to build stronger systems of support?
These are some of the questions that shaped the 2026 Pan African Network on Artistic Freedom Summit last month in Addis Ababa.
Artists, cultural leaders, civil society actors, and policymakers examined the realities artists face and the power structures shaping creative ecosystems. The summit culminated in four collaborative working groups focused on residencies and relocation, legislative reform, research, and digital and physical mobility.
With more than 80 participants, PANAF 2026 moved beyond conversation toward meaningful coordination. ARC was proud to serve as a summit partner and help guide this collective effort.
Because protecting artists requires more than visibility. It requires coordination, dedicated infrastructure, and long-term commitments.
Thank you to long-time ARC collaborators Sarra Maali and Lisa Sidambe & shoutout to artists, Javan the Poet, Kane Limam, Monza, Khalid Albaih, Mazin Peter, Mwanangwa Zombe, Navio, and Spontaneous the Poet. As well as patterns Selam, Al Mawred, ARTVEDA Culture Funding Watch, Unchained Vibes Africa, and Safe Havens Freedom Talks, AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network), the Zambia National Visual Arts Council, as well as Hon Topsy Sonoo Oureveena (African Union’s Special Rapporteur for Artistic Freedom) to share experiences and strategies for strengthening artistic freedom.
#ArtistsUnderThreat #FreedomOfExpression #ArtForChange
#SupportArtists #ArtistProtection #ARCinAfrica #ArtisticFreedom #GlobalSolidarity
🌍 Open Call: ASSEMBLE Fellowship for Displaced Artists, Curators, and Cultural Practitioners
Applications are now open for the ASSEMBLE Fellowship, an international program supporting artists, curators, and cultural practitioners with lived experience of forced migration and displacement.
Over 12 months (June 2026 – June 2027), selected fellows will develop a new curatorial project in their country of residence while exploring the climate emergency at the intersection of migration, displacement, conflict, and ecological decline.
📍 Eligibility
Artists, curators, and cultural practitioners with lived experience of displacement who are currently based in Cyprus, the Basque Country (Spain), or Ukraine.
The fellowship includes:
• Development of a new curatorial project with support from local partners
• Curatorial labs in Cyprus, Spain, and Ukraine
• A 10-day residency in the United Kingdom
• Participation in the On the Move Cultural Mobility Forum in Morocco
• A digital exhibition launching in June 2027
Each fellow will receive a €9,000 fee and a €6,000 production budget, alongside mentorship, networking opportunities, and institutional support.
📅 Application deadline: 26 March 2026
🔗 Learn more and apply on @assemble_europe bio
Co-Funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, the programme is implemented by D6EU @d6_eu_ , Congress of Cultural Activists @congress.of.cultural.activists , Moving Artists @movartists , and On the Move @otm.network, with associated partners including ARC – Artists at Risk Connection @atriskartists, @larnaka2030 , @d6culture .
#Fellowship #Artists
#ArtistsUnderThreat #SupportArtists #ArtForChange #AssembleEurope #ArtistOpenCall #ArtistFellowship #ArtistOpportunity
🌍 Open Call: ASSEMBLE Fellowship for Displaced Artists, Curators, and Cultural Practitioners
Applications are now open for the ASSEMBLE Fellowship, an international program supporting artists, curators, and cultural practitioners with lived experience of forced migration and displacement.
Over 12 months (June 2026 – June 2027), selected fellows will develop a new curatorial project in their country of residence while exploring the climate emergency at the intersection of migration, displacement, conflict, and ecological decline.
📍 Eligibility
Artists, curators, and cultural practitioners with lived experience of displacement who are currently based in Cyprus, the Basque Country (Spain), or Ukraine.
The fellowship includes:
• Development of a new curatorial project with support from local partners
• Curatorial labs in Cyprus, Spain, and Ukraine
• A 10-day residency in the United Kingdom
• Participation in the On the Move Cultural Mobility Forum in Morocco
• A digital exhibition launching in June 2027
Each fellow will receive a €9,000 fee and a €6,000 production budget, alongside mentorship, networking opportunities, and institutional support.
📅 Application deadline: 26 March 2026
🔗 Learn more and apply on @assemble_europe bio
Co-Funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union, the programme is implemented by D6EU @d6_eu_ , Congress of Cultural Activists @congress.of.cultural.activists , Moving Artists @movartists , and On the Move @otm.network, with associated partners including ARC – Artists at Risk Connection @atriskartists, @larnaka2030 , @d6culture .
#Fellowship #Artists
#ArtistsUnderThreat #SupportArtists #ArtForChange #AssembleEurope #ArtistOpenCall #ArtistFellowship #ArtistOpportunity
💜 When women’s voices are threatened, art becomes resistance. Around the world, women artists face censorship, gender-based violence, political repression, and other forms of silencing. Yet they continue to create, organize, and speak out.
At ARC – Artists at Risk Connection, gender equality is a core part of our mission. In 2025, women represented nearly 60% of the artists requesting emergency assistance, reflecting the disproportionate risks they face across cultural and digital environments.
✊Recognising the heightened risks faced by women artists, including gender-based censorship, harassment and violence, political repression, economic marginalisation, and barriers to professional mobility, ARC incorporates gender-sensitive risk assessment tools within its Safety Guide for Artists and related training initiatives. Today, on International Women’s Day, we stand in solidarity with women artists whose creativity challenges oppression and expands the space for freedom.
Through the link in our bio discover the stories of women artists ARC has supported around the world.
#WomensRights #ArtistsUnderThreat #CreativeFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #SupportArtists ArtAgainstOppression VoicesAtRisk
💜 When women’s voices are threatened, art becomes resistance. Around the world, women artists face censorship, gender-based violence, political repression, and other forms of silencing. Yet they continue to create, organize, and speak out.
At ARC – Artists at Risk Connection, gender equality is a core part of our mission. In 2025, women represented nearly 60% of the artists requesting emergency assistance, reflecting the disproportionate risks they face across cultural and digital environments.
✊Recognising the heightened risks faced by women artists, including gender-based censorship, harassment and violence, political repression, economic marginalisation, and barriers to professional mobility, ARC incorporates gender-sensitive risk assessment tools within its Safety Guide for Artists and related training initiatives. Today, on International Women’s Day, we stand in solidarity with women artists whose creativity challenges oppression and expands the space for freedom.
Through the link in our bio discover the stories of women artists ARC has supported around the world.
#WomensRights #ArtistsUnderThreat #CreativeFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #SupportArtists ArtAgainstOppression VoicesAtRisk
40% of artists in the U.S. do not feel prepared to address the threats they are currently facing.
This is one of the early findings from our National Artist Safety Survey, shared publicly for the first time at the 114th College Art Association (CAA) Conference in Chicago two weeks ago. @caavisual
Patrick and Julie opened a conversation about preparedness in the U.S. arts and higher education fields. Artists and cultural workers are facing increasing pressures, yet the field remains under-equipped to anticipate risk and respond collectively. At CAA, we focused on moving beyond crisis response and building proactive systems of protection and solidarity.
Protection is not a given. We must build it together.
👇 Comment below 👇 what you are most interested in learning from The National Artist Safety Survey.
#CAA #NASS #ArtistsUnderThreat #ArtistSafety #ArtistSupport #ArtistsInTheUS
40% of artists in the U.S. do not feel prepared to address the threats they are currently facing.
This is one of the early findings from our National Artist Safety Survey, shared publicly for the first time at the 114th College Art Association (CAA) Conference in Chicago two weeks ago. @caavisual
Patrick and Julie opened a conversation about preparedness in the U.S. arts and higher education fields. Artists and cultural workers are facing increasing pressures, yet the field remains under-equipped to anticipate risk and respond collectively. At CAA, we focused on moving beyond crisis response and building proactive systems of protection and solidarity.
Protection is not a given. We must build it together.
👇 Comment below 👇 what you are most interested in learning from The National Artist Safety Survey.
#CAA #NASS #ArtistsUnderThreat #ArtistSafety #ArtistSupport #ArtistsInTheUS
When artists challenge power, censorship often follows.
Black artists have long shaped culture while confronting repression in the United States. From Nina Simone to @dreadscottart of @falloffreedom the Black radical tradition of art continues.
As we close #BlackHistoryMonth, we recognize artists who continue to create despite silencing, erasure, and both new and longstanding forms of political pressure.
ARC protects and amplifies artists facing risk in the U.S. and globally. The upcoming results of our recent U.S. artist survey will further document the realities many are navigating today.
Art is power. And that’s exactly why it’s targeted.
Learn more. Stay informed. Support artists.
Read more in the link in bio
Sources: New York Public Library, Giphy, NFL, Dread Scott, Interview with Dread Scott from ARC and ATLT’s 2024 Dangerous Art, Endangered Artists Summit News Articles from: Artnet, ACLU, PEN America, Chicao Sun Times
#ArtAgainstOppression #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #ProtectArtists #FreedomOfExpression #CulturalResistance #ArtIsPower
When artists challenge power, censorship often follows.
Black artists have long shaped culture while confronting repression in the United States. From Nina Simone to @dreadscottart of @falloffreedom the Black radical tradition of art continues.
As we close #BlackHistoryMonth, we recognize artists who continue to create despite silencing, erasure, and both new and longstanding forms of political pressure.
ARC protects and amplifies artists facing risk in the U.S. and globally. The upcoming results of our recent U.S. artist survey will further document the realities many are navigating today.
Art is power. And that’s exactly why it’s targeted.
Learn more. Stay informed. Support artists.
Read more in the link in bio
Sources: New York Public Library, Giphy, NFL, Dread Scott, Interview with Dread Scott from ARC and ATLT’s 2024 Dangerous Art, Endangered Artists Summit News Articles from: Artnet, ACLU, PEN America, Chicao Sun Times
#ArtAgainstOppression #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #ProtectArtists #FreedomOfExpression #CulturalResistance #ArtIsPower
🚨🇮🇷Release Ailing Iranian Calligrapher Sadegh Mansouri
Iranian calligrapher and teacher Sadegh Mansouri is reportedly in critical condition after being denied medical care in detention.
He was detained after attending a memorial for Kurdish lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Despite posting bail, he remains imprisoned.
Denying medical care to a detained artist is cruel and unlawful.
ARC calls for immediate medical treatment and his release without delay.
We stand in solidarity with artists across Iran facing repression.
Read the full statement at the link in bio.
#Iran
#FreeSadeghMansouri
#ArtistsUnderThreat
#HumanRights
🚨🇮🇷Release Ailing Iranian Calligrapher Sadegh Mansouri
Iranian calligrapher and teacher Sadegh Mansouri is reportedly in critical condition after being denied medical care in detention.
He was detained after attending a memorial for Kurdish lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Despite posting bail, he remains imprisoned.
Denying medical care to a detained artist is cruel and unlawful.
ARC calls for immediate medical treatment and his release without delay.
We stand in solidarity with artists across Iran facing repression.
Read the full statement at the link in bio.
#Iran
#FreeSadeghMansouri
#ArtistsUnderThreat
#HumanRights
Four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war continues. So does Ukrainian art.
For many artists, this war is fought not only on the battlefield but through language, memory, and culture. Studios have become shelters. Murals rise beside rubble. Sculptures are shaped in the dark.
Earlier in the war, ARC supported artists through Emergency and Resilience grants. Together with @moca.ngo and @ukrainian_institute , we also created a practical safety guide to help artists navigate the war.
Read and share: Navigating the War as Artists in Ukraine
Link in bio
Keep watching. Keep listening. Keep sharing their work.
Do not look away.
Support @astian_rey (slide 7) by checking out his work, upcoming exhibition & music.
Support @vitaliy_gide1 (slide 8) by checking out his work.
#ArtAgainstOppression #ArtistsUnderThreat #CreativeFreedom #SupportArtists #Ukraine #UkrainianArt #SupportUkrainianArtists #CreativeResistance #UkrainianCulture
Four years since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war continues. So does Ukrainian art.
For many artists, this war is fought not only on the battlefield but through language, memory, and culture. Studios have become shelters. Murals rise beside rubble. Sculptures are shaped in the dark.
Earlier in the war, ARC supported artists through Emergency and Resilience grants. Together with @moca.ngo and @ukrainian_institute , we also created a practical safety guide to help artists navigate the war.
Read and share: Navigating the War as Artists in Ukraine
Link in bio
Keep watching. Keep listening. Keep sharing their work.
Do not look away.
Support @astian_rey (slide 7) by checking out his work, upcoming exhibition & music.
Support @vitaliy_gide1 (slide 8) by checking out his work.
#ArtAgainstOppression #ArtistsUnderThreat #CreativeFreedom #SupportArtists #Ukraine #UkrainianArt #SupportUkrainianArtists #CreativeResistance #UkrainianCulture
ARC highlights "Defending Each Other in the USA" — a collective call to action which distills key ideas shared during the ArtsLink Assembly 2025 at La MaMa (@lamamaetc) in NYC.
Written by Mary Ann DeVlieg, the whitepaper calls on artists, cultural organizations, funders, and civil society to respond strategically and collectively to the urgent challenges facing the cultural field.
Co-commissioned by On the Move (@otm.network) and CEC ArtsLink (@cec_artslink)
📄 Read the paper: https://www.cecartslink.org/defending-each-other-in-the-usa/
Learn more about ARC`s participation in the 2025 Assembly: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-cec-artslink/
ARC highlights "Defending Each Other in the USA" — a collective call to action which distills key ideas shared during the ArtsLink Assembly 2025 at La MaMa (@lamamaetc) in NYC.
Written by Mary Ann DeVlieg, the whitepaper calls on artists, cultural organizations, funders, and civil society to respond strategically and collectively to the urgent challenges facing the cultural field.
Co-commissioned by On the Move (@otm.network) and CEC ArtsLink (@cec_artslink)
📄 Read the paper: https://www.cecartslink.org/defending-each-other-in-the-usa/
Learn more about ARC`s participation in the 2025 Assembly: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-cec-artslink/
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