What we do
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection 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.
Mexico
Gerardo K’ulej

Afghanistan
Rada Akbar

Brazil
Yacunã Tuxá

Uganda
Trinah Kakyo

Afghanistan
Zahra Abrahimi

United States
Dashka Slater

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
What an opening weekend, Madrid! 🇨🇺🎥 There’s still time to be part of Raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana before the exhibition closes this weekend.
More than 225 attendees joined our opening-weekend programming: 120+ at the opening reception, with plenty more visitors stopping by the gallery. Artworks have already sold, and the conversations and connections continue.
For the first time, the exhibition brings together all 30 artists from the first three cohorts of ARC’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship. Take a glimpse inside, then come experience their work in person at Galería Nueva Carabanchel.
🎬 Make Friday a night of Cuban cinema! Join us from 7–10 PM for Llamadas desde Moscú (@yero009) and La teoría cubana de la sociedad perfecta (@olivaricardofiguerdo), introduced by art critic Edgar Ariel (@edgarariel_) of Diario de Cuba (DDC) @diariodecuba. Only 9 seats left! RSVP on Eventbrite through the link in our bio to reserve yours & make sure to arrive 10 mins before showtime.
Thank you to the artists, curator Mari Claudia García (@mclaudiagr75), assistant curator Solveig Font (@solveig_font), designer Alondra Medina (@alo.med), Galería Nueva (@galerianueva), our media partner Diario de Cuba, our partners and supporters, and everyone who made the opening weekend so special.
The exhibition is still on view, but this is its final weekend. Bring a friend, discover the work, and join us in Madrid before it closes! @carabancheldc @descubriendocarabanchel
#RaícesEnTránsito #CubanArtists #CubanDiaspora #ArtisticFreedom #BuildingResilience #ContemporaryArt #Madrid #AperturaMadrid #MadridGalleryWeekend #MadridArt
Outreach Partners: @amnesty @fundacioncadal @cartelurbano @editorial_hypermedia @instar_cuba @peninternational @raceandequality @rialtaediciones @article19mxca
What an opening weekend, Madrid! 🇨🇺🎥 There’s still time to be part of Raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana before the exhibition closes this weekend.
More than 225 attendees joined our opening-weekend programming: 120+ at the opening reception, with plenty more visitors stopping by the gallery. Artworks have already sold, and the conversations and connections continue.
For the first time, the exhibition brings together all 30 artists from the first three cohorts of ARC’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship. Take a glimpse inside, then come experience their work in person at Galería Nueva Carabanchel.
🎬 Make Friday a night of Cuban cinema! Join us from 7–10 PM for Llamadas desde Moscú (@yero009) and La teoría cubana de la sociedad perfecta (@olivaricardofiguerdo), introduced by art critic Edgar Ariel (@edgarariel_) of Diario de Cuba (DDC) @diariodecuba. Only 9 seats left! RSVP on Eventbrite through the link in our bio to reserve yours & make sure to arrive 10 mins before showtime.
Thank you to the artists, curator Mari Claudia García (@mclaudiagr75), assistant curator Solveig Font (@solveig_font), designer Alondra Medina (@alo.med), Galería Nueva (@galerianueva), our media partner Diario de Cuba, our partners and supporters, and everyone who made the opening weekend so special.
The exhibition is still on view, but this is its final weekend. Bring a friend, discover the work, and join us in Madrid before it closes! @carabancheldc @descubriendocarabanchel
#RaícesEnTránsito #CubanArtists #CubanDiaspora #ArtisticFreedom #BuildingResilience #ContemporaryArt #Madrid #AperturaMadrid #MadridGalleryWeekend #MadridArt
Outreach Partners: @amnesty @fundacioncadal @cartelurbano @editorial_hypermedia @instar_cuba @peninternational @raceandequality @rialtaediciones @article19mxca
🚨 Artists: Help us build a better safety tool.
What risks are you navigating in your creative practice?
What questions should a risk assessment ask?
What resources would actually be useful when you`re facing a threat?
And what would make a safety tool practical enough to use before a crisis?
Join CERF+ and ARC – Artists at Risk Connection TOMORROW, on September 16 for Safety is an Art Form: Incorporating Risk Assessment into Your Creative Practice.
This interactive session will give artists and cultural workers a chance to test ARC`s developing risk assessment tool, respond to its questions, identify gaps, and share feedback directly with the team developing it.
The goal is simple: build a tool that works for artists—not just in theory, but in practice.
📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 3:00–4:00 PM ET
💻 Online via Zoom
🎟️ Register now through the link in our bio.
#ArtistSafety #ArtistResiliencyToolkit #ArtisticFreedom #RiskAssessment #ArtistSupport #ArtistsHelpingArtists #CreativeFreedom #ArtistResources #SafetyPlanning #CERFPlus
🚨 Artists: Help us build a better safety tool.
What risks are you navigating in your creative practice?
What questions should a risk assessment ask?
What resources would actually be useful when you`re facing a threat?
And what would make a safety tool practical enough to use before a crisis?
Join CERF+ and ARC – Artists at Risk Connection TOMORROW, on September 16 for Safety is an Art Form: Incorporating Risk Assessment into Your Creative Practice.
This interactive session will give artists and cultural workers a chance to test ARC`s developing risk assessment tool, respond to its questions, identify gaps, and share feedback directly with the team developing it.
The goal is simple: build a tool that works for artists—not just in theory, but in practice.
📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 3:00–4:00 PM ET
💻 Online via Zoom
🎟️ Register now through the link in our bio.
#ArtistSafety #ArtistResiliencyToolkit #ArtisticFreedom #RiskAssessment #ArtistSupport #ArtistsHelpingArtists #CreativeFreedom #ArtistResources #SafetyPlanning #CERFPlus
Bienvenidos a raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana #artisticfreedom #cmarf #raicesentransito
Bienvenidos a raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana #artisticfreedom #cmarf #raicesentransito
📍 Madrid: five opportunities to come together around art, memory, freedom, and the Cuban diaspora.
This September, Raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana does not only bring the work of 30 Cuban artists in exile together for the first time. Throughout the exhibition, we’re also bringing a series of public programs to @GaleriaNueva Carabanchel that takes the conversation beyond the artworks themselves.
🎭 11 Sept. | Performances by Sandra Ceballos Obayá and Luzbely Escobar Pérez
🖼️ 12 Sept. | Curatorial tour with Mari Claudia García and participating artists
💬 16 Sept. | Art and Democracy: Creativity, Memory and Civic Space, a conversation bringing together artists, thinkers, and human rights advocates
👁️ 19 Sept. | Exhibition tour with assistant curator Solveig Font
🎬 25 Sept. | Cuban Film Night, featuring films by Luis Alejandro Yero Monteagudo and Ricardo Figueredo Oliva
And it all begins next Thursday, September 10 with the opening reception for Raíces en tránsito.
Each gathering offers a different insight into the questions running through the exhibition: What can art sustain in the face of displacement and censorship? How is memory built across diaspora? And what role can artistic creation play in defending civic space?
📅 September 10–26
📍 Galería Nueva Carabanchel, Madrid
🎟️ Free exhibition. Public programs are free with advance registration; space is limited.
Explore the full program and reserve your spot in the link in bio.
@galerianueva
@diariodecuba
@amnesty
@fundacioncadal
@cartelurbano
@editorial_hypermedia
@instar_cuba
@peninternational
@raceandequality
@rialtaediciones
📍 Madrid: five opportunities to come together around art, memory, freedom, and the Cuban diaspora.
This September, Raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana does not only bring the work of 30 Cuban artists in exile together for the first time. Throughout the exhibition, we’re also bringing a series of public programs to @GaleriaNueva Carabanchel that takes the conversation beyond the artworks themselves.
🎭 11 Sept. | Performances by Sandra Ceballos Obayá and Luzbely Escobar Pérez
🖼️ 12 Sept. | Curatorial tour with Mari Claudia García and participating artists
💬 16 Sept. | Art and Democracy: Creativity, Memory and Civic Space, a conversation bringing together artists, thinkers, and human rights advocates
👁️ 19 Sept. | Exhibition tour with assistant curator Solveig Font
🎬 25 Sept. | Cuban Film Night, featuring films by Luis Alejandro Yero Monteagudo and Ricardo Figueredo Oliva
And it all begins next Thursday, September 10 with the opening reception for Raíces en tránsito.
Each gathering offers a different insight into the questions running through the exhibition: What can art sustain in the face of displacement and censorship? How is memory built across diaspora? And what role can artistic creation play in defending civic space?
📅 September 10–26
📍 Galería Nueva Carabanchel, Madrid
🎟️ Free exhibition. Public programs are free with advance registration; space is limited.
Explore the full program and reserve your spot in the link in bio.
@galerianueva
@diariodecuba
@amnesty
@fundacioncadal
@cartelurbano
@editorial_hypermedia
@instar_cuba
@peninternational
@raceandequality
@rialtaediciones
📍 Madrid: Join us next Thursday for the opening of Raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana!
On Thursday, 10 September, from 7:00–10:00 PM, we’re opening the doors of @galerianueva Carabanchel to celebrate the first exhibition bringing together all 30 artists from the first three years of ARC’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship.
Discover a multidisciplinary exhibition spanning visual arts, film, literature, music, installation, socially engaged art practices, and digital media, and meet participating artists, curator Mari Claudia García, and project collaborators as we raise a glass to celebrate their work.
The opening reception also kicks off over two weeks of public programs—including performances, guided tours, film screenings, and conversations with artists, curators, and human rights advocates—that explore the intersections of artistic freedom, democracy, migration, memory, and civic participation.
Reserve your spot at the link in the bio.
📅 Thursday, 10 September
🕖 7:00–10:00 PM
📍 Galería Nueva Carabanchel, Madrid
🎟️ Free admission with advance registration. Space is limited.
#RaícesEnTránsito #CubanArtists #CubanDiaspora #ArtisticFreedom #BuildingResilience #ContemporaryArt #Madrid #AperturaMadrid #MadridGalleryWeekend #MadridArt
@diariodecuba
@amnesty
@fundacioncadal
@cartelurbano
@editorial_hypermedia
@instar_cuba
@peninternational
@raceandequality
@rialtaediciones
📍 Madrid: Join us next Thursday for the opening of Raíces en tránsito: 30 artistas de la diáspora cubana!
On Thursday, 10 September, from 7:00–10:00 PM, we’re opening the doors of @galerianueva Carabanchel to celebrate the first exhibition bringing together all 30 artists from the first three years of ARC’s Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship.
Discover a multidisciplinary exhibition spanning visual arts, film, literature, music, installation, socially engaged art practices, and digital media, and meet participating artists, curator Mari Claudia García, and project collaborators as we raise a glass to celebrate their work.
The opening reception also kicks off over two weeks of public programs—including performances, guided tours, film screenings, and conversations with artists, curators, and human rights advocates—that explore the intersections of artistic freedom, democracy, migration, memory, and civic participation.
Reserve your spot at the link in the bio.
📅 Thursday, 10 September
🕖 7:00–10:00 PM
📍 Galería Nueva Carabanchel, Madrid
🎟️ Free admission with advance registration. Space is limited.
#RaícesEnTránsito #CubanArtists #CubanDiaspora #ArtisticFreedom #BuildingResilience #ContemporaryArt #Madrid #AperturaMadrid #MadridGalleryWeekend #MadridArt
@diariodecuba
@amnesty
@fundacioncadal
@cartelurbano
@editorial_hypermedia
@instar_cuba
@peninternational
@raceandequality
@rialtaediciones
As film festival season moves into its fall stretch, whose stories get to travel — and who gets to hear them?
Dr. Stella Nyanzi, Ugandan poet, scholar, feminist, and activist supported by ARC, is featured in The Woman Who Poked the Leopard (@thewomanwhopokedtheleopard), a documentary that premiered at Movies that Matter festival (@mtmfestival), tracing her fearless resistance, writing, and advocacy in the face of political persecution.
In this interview clip, Dr. Nyanzi reflects on why festivals matter. In a time of growing visa restrictions, displacement, and barriers to mobility, film festivals create spaces for stories to travel when people often cannot. They bring visibility, legitimacy, and wider public attention to voices that might otherwise remain unheard.
From challenging power through poetry to organizing #Pads4GirlsUG and advocating for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, Dr. Nyanzi continues to show what refusing to be silenced can look like.
Watch The Woman Who Poked the Leopard. Support documentaries. Support film festivals.
Help ensure that artists’ stories continue to cross borders, even when artists themselves cannot.
Learn more about Dr. Stella Nyanzi through the link in bio.
#InTheirWords #ARContheGround #StellaNyanzi #DocumentaryFilm FilmFestival FreedomOfExpression ArtisticFreedom
As film festival season moves into its fall stretch, whose stories get to travel — and who gets to hear them?
Dr. Stella Nyanzi, Ugandan poet, scholar, feminist, and activist supported by ARC, is featured in The Woman Who Poked the Leopard (@thewomanwhopokedtheleopard), a documentary that premiered at Movies that Matter festival (@mtmfestival), tracing her fearless resistance, writing, and advocacy in the face of political persecution.
In this interview clip, Dr. Nyanzi reflects on why festivals matter. In a time of growing visa restrictions, displacement, and barriers to mobility, film festivals create spaces for stories to travel when people often cannot. They bring visibility, legitimacy, and wider public attention to voices that might otherwise remain unheard.
From challenging power through poetry to organizing #Pads4GirlsUG and advocating for women’s and LGBTQIA+ rights, Dr. Nyanzi continues to show what refusing to be silenced can look like.
Watch The Woman Who Poked the Leopard. Support documentaries. Support film festivals.
Help ensure that artists’ stories continue to cross borders, even when artists themselves cannot.
Learn more about Dr. Stella Nyanzi through the link in bio.
#InTheirWords #ARContheGround #StellaNyanzi #DocumentaryFilm FilmFestival FreedomOfExpression ArtisticFreedom
📣 SAVE THE DATE
Safety is an Art Form: Incorporating Risk Assessment into Your Creative Practice
Join ARC and CERF+ for an interactive webinar with Patrick Bond, U.S. Program Officer at ARC –
Artists at Risk Connection.
📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 3:00–4:00 PM ET
💻 Online via Zoom
As threats to artistic and creative freedom increase, how can artists better understand and prepare for risk?
ARC is developing a new risk assessment tool for artists and cultural workers—and this webinar is an opportunity to learn more about the tool, explore how it works, and help shape its development.
Patrick will share insights from ARC’s National Artist Safety Survey, developed with more than 100 partner organizations, and introduce ARC’s approach to helping artists recognize risks, strengthen preparedness, and connect with practical resources.
This is more than a presentation. Participants will have an opportunity to engage directly with the tool and provide feedback that will help ARC refine it.
🎟️ Register via the link in our bio or:
https://ow.ly/vy9f50ZFmRA
#ArtistSafety #ArtistResiliencyToolkit #ArtisticFreedom #RiskAssessment #ArtistSupport #ArtistResources #ArtistsHelpingArtists #CreativeCommunity #SupportArtists #CERFPlus
📣 SAVE THE DATE
Safety is an Art Form: Incorporating Risk Assessment into Your Creative Practice
Join ARC and CERF+ for an interactive webinar with Patrick Bond, U.S. Program Officer at ARC –
Artists at Risk Connection.
📅 Wednesday, September 16
⏰ 3:00–4:00 PM ET
💻 Online via Zoom
As threats to artistic and creative freedom increase, how can artists better understand and prepare for risk?
ARC is developing a new risk assessment tool for artists and cultural workers—and this webinar is an opportunity to learn more about the tool, explore how it works, and help shape its development.
Patrick will share insights from ARC’s National Artist Safety Survey, developed with more than 100 partner organizations, and introduce ARC’s approach to helping artists recognize risks, strengthen preparedness, and connect with practical resources.
This is more than a presentation. Participants will have an opportunity to engage directly with the tool and provide feedback that will help ARC refine it.
🎟️ Register via the link in our bio or:
https://ow.ly/vy9f50ZFmRA
#ArtistSafety #ArtistResiliencyToolkit #ArtisticFreedom #RiskAssessment #ArtistSupport #ArtistResources #ArtistsHelpingArtists #CreativeCommunity #SupportArtists #CERFPlus
Who gets remembered as a maker of history? ✨
For Afghan artist Rada Akbar (@radaakbar), that question is inseparable from the women whose courage, creativity, and leadership have too often been pushed out of view.
Her ongoing Abarzanan (Superwomen) project refuses that erasure. It is both an archive and a living tribute, shaped through collaboration, memory, and Afghan visual traditions.
This Artist Spotlight offers a glimpse into Rada’s practice, the rupture of leaving Kabul, and the work she continues in exile. Swipe through, then read her full Artist Voice at the link in bio. 🔗
#RadaAkbar #Abarzanan #AfghanArt #AfghanWomenArtists #WomenInArt #ArtisticFreedom #ArtAndResistance #ArtistSpotlight #ArtistsAtRiskConnection
Who gets remembered as a maker of history? ✨
For Afghan artist Rada Akbar (@radaakbar), that question is inseparable from the women whose courage, creativity, and leadership have too often been pushed out of view.
Her ongoing Abarzanan (Superwomen) project refuses that erasure. It is both an archive and a living tribute, shaped through collaboration, memory, and Afghan visual traditions.
This Artist Spotlight offers a glimpse into Rada’s practice, the rupture of leaving Kabul, and the work she continues in exile. Swipe through, then read her full Artist Voice at the link in bio. 🔗
#RadaAkbar #Abarzanan #AfghanArt #AfghanWomenArtists #WomenInArt #ArtisticFreedom #ArtAndResistance #ArtistSpotlight #ArtistsAtRiskConnection
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