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 work wherever artists face danger or repression, collaborating with local and international partners 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
“I, as a female Iranian poet, see myself as a fighter whose weapons are words.” — Mahtab Yaghma
Mahtab Yaghma is an Iranian poet whose writing centers women’s experiences while drawing on classical Persian literary traditions. Through poetry and digital activism, she challenges injustice and amplifies calls for human rights in Iran.
Because of her art and advocacy, Mahtab was forced into exile in 2020. Now working between displacement and deep ties to home, she continues to use her words as tools of resistance.
Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/mahtab-yaghma/
Image courtesy of the artist.
#MahtabYaghma #ArtistSpotlight #Iran
“I, as a female Iranian poet, see myself as a fighter whose weapons are words.” — Mahtab Yaghma
Mahtab Yaghma is an Iranian poet whose writing centers women’s experiences while drawing on classical Persian literary traditions. Through poetry and digital activism, she challenges injustice and amplifies calls for human rights in Iran.
Because of her art and advocacy, Mahtab was forced into exile in 2020. Now working between displacement and deep ties to home, she continues to use her words as tools of resistance.
Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/mahtab-yaghma/
Image courtesy of the artist.
#MahtabYaghma #ArtistSpotlight #Iran
NEXT WEEK, ARC will lead session at the 114th College Art Association (CAA) Conference in Chicago, titled “Art in Precarious Times: Mapping Threats, Increasing Preparedness, and Improving Safety for Artists and Cultural Workers in the United States.”
📍The session will take place on Wednesday, 19 February 2026, from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm.
With artistic freedom increasingly contested and the pressures facing cultural workers intensifying, this conference provides a vital forum to examine not only how art responds to crisis, but how artists themselves are supported, protected, and sustained.
Learn more and register: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-caa-114-2026/
@caavisual
NEXT WEEK, ARC will lead session at the 114th College Art Association (CAA) Conference in Chicago, titled “Art in Precarious Times: Mapping Threats, Increasing Preparedness, and Improving Safety for Artists and Cultural Workers in the United States.”
📍The session will take place on Wednesday, 19 February 2026, from 2:30 pm to 4:00 pm.
With artistic freedom increasingly contested and the pressures facing cultural workers intensifying, this conference provides a vital forum to examine not only how art responds to crisis, but how artists themselves are supported, protected, and sustained.
Learn more and register: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-caa-114-2026/
@caavisual
Last week, ARC attended the Cultural Deal for Europe: Annual Policy Conversation 2026 at Bozar – Centre for Fine Arts.
We were grateful to be part of this important dialogue bringing together EU policymakers and leaders from the culture, cultural heritage, and civil society sectors at a pivotal moment for Europe.
As discussions turned to the EU’s next long-term budget, the conversation reaffirmed why art, culture, and the protection of cultural heritage are essential to a strong, democratic civil society.
@bozarbrussels @culture_action_europe @europeanculturalfoundation @europanostraeu
#ArtForJustice #CultureMatters #CulturalPolicy #CivilSociety
Last week, ARC attended the Cultural Deal for Europe: Annual Policy Conversation 2026 at Bozar – Centre for Fine Arts.
We were grateful to be part of this important dialogue bringing together EU policymakers and leaders from the culture, cultural heritage, and civil society sectors at a pivotal moment for Europe.
As discussions turned to the EU’s next long-term budget, the conversation reaffirmed why art, culture, and the protection of cultural heritage are essential to a strong, democratic civil society.
@bozarbrussels @culture_action_europe @europeanculturalfoundation @europanostraeu
#ArtForJustice #CultureMatters #CulturalPolicy #CivilSociety
📣 ARC is hiring!
We’re looking for an Artist Protection Consultant to support artists and cultural workers at risk worldwide.
This role focuses on:
✨ Protection case support
✨ Emergency and resilience grant coordination
✨ Research on threats to artistic freedom
✨ Advocacy and documentation support
📍 Remote | Independent consultancy
🗓 Application deadline: February 16, 2026
🔗 Learn more and apply
artistsatriskconnection.org/arc-news/artist-protection-consultancy/
#ARC #ArtistProtection #WeAreHiring #Consultancy
📣 ARC is hiring!
We’re looking for an Artist Protection Consultant to support artists and cultural workers at risk worldwide.
This role focuses on:
✨ Protection case support
✨ Emergency and resilience grant coordination
✨ Research on threats to artistic freedom
✨ Advocacy and documentation support
📍 Remote | Independent consultancy
🗓 Application deadline: February 16, 2026
🔗 Learn more and apply
artistsatriskconnection.org/arc-news/artist-protection-consultancy/
#ARC #ArtistProtection #WeAreHiring #Consultancy
📣 ARC is hiring!
We’re seeking an International Programs Consultant to support and expand ARC’s global initiatives.
The role includes:
✨ Strategic and programmatic support
✨ Partnership coordination
✨ Advocacy and policy contribution
✨ Planning, monitoring, and reporting
📍 Remote | Independent consultancy
🗓 Application deadline: February 15, 2026
🔗 Apply via the link in bio:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/arc-news/international-programs-consultancy/
#ARC #ArtsAndHumanRights #Consultancy #Hiring
📣 ARC is hiring!
We’re seeking an International Programs Consultant to support and expand ARC’s global initiatives.
The role includes:
✨ Strategic and programmatic support
✨ Partnership coordination
✨ Advocacy and policy contribution
✨ Planning, monitoring, and reporting
📍 Remote | Independent consultancy
🗓 Application deadline: February 15, 2026
🔗 Apply via the link in bio:
https://artistsatriskconnection.org/arc-news/international-programs-consultancy/
#ARC #ArtsAndHumanRights #Consultancy #Hiring
🎥🌟If you haven’t seen these extraordinary short films from the Art of Exile series, you still can!
Last year, ARC hosted the Art of Exile Documentary Screening and Performance Event on Zoom, featuring three moving short films by filmmakers Dara Kell and Veena Rao.
The screening was followed by performances and readings by featured artists Mai Khoi and Ahmed Naji, as well as a reading of the writing of Moath al-Alwi, presented by his lawyer Beth Jacob, who also joined the Q&A.
Together, the three films offer an intimate portrait of artists displaced by war and censorship, navigating memory, reinvention, and the challenge of rebuilding their lives and identities in exile.
▶️ Watch the full screening and panel discussion on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2PBL-Tw_Vw&rco=1
@mai.khoi @darakell
🎥🌟If you haven’t seen these extraordinary short films from the Art of Exile series, you still can!
Last year, ARC hosted the Art of Exile Documentary Screening and Performance Event on Zoom, featuring three moving short films by filmmakers Dara Kell and Veena Rao.
The screening was followed by performances and readings by featured artists Mai Khoi and Ahmed Naji, as well as a reading of the writing of Moath al-Alwi, presented by his lawyer Beth Jacob, who also joined the Q&A.
Together, the three films offer an intimate portrait of artists displaced by war and censorship, navigating memory, reinvention, and the challenge of rebuilding their lives and identities in exile.
▶️ Watch the full screening and panel discussion on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2PBL-Tw_Vw&rco=1
@mai.khoi @darakell
🇺🇦🌻 ARC at Le Voyage en Ukraine
Last week, ARC’s Executive Director Julie Trébault had the pleasure of joining directors and representatives from French and Ukrainian arts and cultural organizations at Le Voyage en Ukraine at Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille.
The gathering focused on sharing perspectives and discussing ways to sustain Ukrainian cultural resilience as the full-scale Russian war of aggression continues. Cultural actors reflected on how artistic exchange, exhibitions, and long-term collaboration can support Ukrainian cultural life under conditions of ongoing war.
Read more about Le Voyage en Ukraine:
https://www.lafriche.org/temps-forts/le-voyage-en-ukraine/
@frichelabelledemai @institut_ukrainien_france @culture_gouv @institutfrancais_ukraine
#LeVoyageEnUkraine #Ukraine #CulturalResilience
🇺🇦🌻 ARC at Le Voyage en Ukraine
Last week, ARC’s Executive Director Julie Trébault had the pleasure of joining directors and representatives from French and Ukrainian arts and cultural organizations at Le Voyage en Ukraine at Friche la Belle de Mai in Marseille.
The gathering focused on sharing perspectives and discussing ways to sustain Ukrainian cultural resilience as the full-scale Russian war of aggression continues. Cultural actors reflected on how artistic exchange, exhibitions, and long-term collaboration can support Ukrainian cultural life under conditions of ongoing war.
Read more about Le Voyage en Ukraine:
https://www.lafriche.org/temps-forts/le-voyage-en-ukraine/
@frichelabelledemai @institut_ukrainien_france @culture_gouv @institutfrancais_ukraine
#LeVoyageEnUkraine #Ukraine #CulturalResilience
“I hope international audiences understand the depth of systematic discrimination and restrictions imposed on Afghan women. At the same time, I fear they may see Afghan women only as victims: weak, miserable, or deserving of pity. Afghan women are strong, resilient, and resistant. Even under gender apartheid, they continue to fight for their existence and dignity.” - Zahra Abrahimi, Afghan visual artist and activist
Zahra Abrahimi knows well that when you leave your country, a piece of it stays with you forever. A painter and muralist from Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, Zahra is now living in Paris after 3 years in exile in Pakistan. In an interview with ARC, she recounts the events that led to her departure from Afghanistan, the repression that followed her, and the feeling of duty that continues to aliment her creativity.
Read her artist story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/zahra-abrahimi/
#Afghanistan #ArtistSpotlight #ArtistStory
“I hope international audiences understand the depth of systematic discrimination and restrictions imposed on Afghan women. At the same time, I fear they may see Afghan women only as victims: weak, miserable, or deserving of pity. Afghan women are strong, resilient, and resistant. Even under gender apartheid, they continue to fight for their existence and dignity.” - Zahra Abrahimi, Afghan visual artist and activist
Zahra Abrahimi knows well that when you leave your country, a piece of it stays with you forever. A painter and muralist from Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan, Zahra is now living in Paris after 3 years in exile in Pakistan. In an interview with ARC, she recounts the events that led to her departure from Afghanistan, the repression that followed her, and the feeling of duty that continues to aliment her creativity.
Read her artist story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/zahra-abrahimi/
#Afghanistan #ArtistSpotlight #ArtistStory
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