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.
Afghanistan
Rada Akbar
Brazil
Yacunã Tuxá
Uganda
Trinah Kakyo
Afghanistan
Zahra Abrahimi
United States
Dashka Slater
Cuba
Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara
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
📣 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
Building lasting protections for artistic freedom requires more than a single moment. It takes years of research, collaboration, advocacy, and artist engagement.
The development of the African Model Law on Artistic Freedom builds on a multi-year process that has brought together artists, legal experts, policymakers, and cultural leaders across the continent.
Through legal mapping across 11 countries conducted with the support of @vancecenternyc and pro bono legal partners, consultations with artists and cultural workers, sustained advocacy at the African Union, and regional dialogue through the Pan-African Network for Artistic Freedom (PANAF), this initiative is laying the foundation for stronger protections for artists across Africa.
This timeline highlights some of the key milestones that have brought us to this moment—and the work continues.
#ArtisticFreedom #ArtistsRights #CreativeFreedom #Africa #CulturalRights #FreedomOfExpression #AfricanUnion #PANAF #ArtistsAtRisk #ArtAndFreedom
Building lasting protections for artistic freedom requires more than a single moment. It takes years of research, collaboration, advocacy, and artist engagement.
The development of the African Model Law on Artistic Freedom builds on a multi-year process that has brought together artists, legal experts, policymakers, and cultural leaders across the continent.
Through legal mapping across 11 countries conducted with the support of @vancecenternyc and pro bono legal partners, consultations with artists and cultural workers, sustained advocacy at the African Union, and regional dialogue through the Pan-African Network for Artistic Freedom (PANAF), this initiative is laying the foundation for stronger protections for artists across Africa.
This timeline highlights some of the key milestones that have brought us to this moment—and the work continues.
#ArtisticFreedom #ArtistsRights #CreativeFreedom #Africa #CulturalRights #FreedomOfExpression #AfricanUnion #PANAF #ArtistsAtRisk #ArtAndFreedom
🏛️ Museums are among our most important civic institutions. They preserve collective memory, foster dialogue across difference, and create space for artists, historians, and communities to grapple with the complexity of our shared past.
This week`s decision to install government warning signs outside the Smithsonian`s National Museum of American History follows months of efforts to reshape how American history is presented, including a White House report criticizing the Smithsonian`s exhibitions and calling for a white-washed retellings of the country’s past.
At ARC - Artists at Risk Connection, we have documented similar patterns around the world. When governments seek to influence cultural institutions, pressure curators, or dictate historical narratives, artistic freedom and democratic discourse are placed at risk.
Museums should remain independent spaces for scholarship, dialogue, and public engagement—not instruments of political power.
Listen to Patrick Bond, ARC`s U.S. Program Officer, explain why defending curatorial independence is essential to protecting artistic freedom.
#ArtisticFreedom #CreativeFreedom #CuratorialIndependence #Museums #Smithsonian #FreedomOfExpression #Democracy #ArtsAdvocacy
@ncacensorship, @ccl_curators, @aamersofficial, @1acommittee, @smithsonian, @amhistorymuseum, @aamd_org, @penamerica, @freemuseorg, @amer4arts, @hyperallergic, @artforum, @theartsfuse, @warholfoundation, @helenfrankenthalerfoundation
🏛️ Museums are among our most important civic institutions. They preserve collective memory, foster dialogue across difference, and create space for artists, historians, and communities to grapple with the complexity of our shared past.
This week`s decision to install government warning signs outside the Smithsonian`s National Museum of American History follows months of efforts to reshape how American history is presented, including a White House report criticizing the Smithsonian`s exhibitions and calling for a white-washed retellings of the country’s past.
At ARC - Artists at Risk Connection, we have documented similar patterns around the world. When governments seek to influence cultural institutions, pressure curators, or dictate historical narratives, artistic freedom and democratic discourse are placed at risk.
Museums should remain independent spaces for scholarship, dialogue, and public engagement—not instruments of political power.
Listen to Patrick Bond, ARC`s U.S. Program Officer, explain why defending curatorial independence is essential to protecting artistic freedom.
#ArtisticFreedom #CreativeFreedom #CuratorialIndependence #Museums #Smithsonian #FreedomOfExpression #Democracy #ArtsAdvocacy
@ncacensorship, @ccl_curators, @aamersofficial, @1acommittee, @smithsonian, @amhistorymuseum, @aamd_org, @penamerica, @freemuseorg, @amer4arts, @hyperallergic, @artforum, @theartsfuse, @warholfoundation, @helenfrankenthalerfoundation
⛓️🇲🇦Moroccan artist, filmmaker, and rapper Mehdi El Youbi, known professionally as Blackwind, is facing criminal prosecution after peacefully exercising his right to artistic expression.
On 13 July 2026, Mehdi was arrested after responding to a police summons. He is now being prosecuted under Article 179 of Morocco`s Penal Code for allegedly "insulting a constitutionally established institution"—a charge that carries a potential prison sentence and substantial fine.
Mehdi`s case is not an isolated incident. He is the fourth Moroccan rapper to face prosecution in 2026, raising serious concerns about growing judicial pressure on artists who express critical or dissenting views.
Artists should never face criminal prosecution for their creative work or peaceful expression.
ARC stands in solidarity with Mehdi El Youbi, his family, and partners calling for the protection of artistic freedom and freedom of expression in Morocco.
✍️ Sign and share the petition thru the link in the bio or scan slide 3.
#ArtisticFreedom #Morocco #MehdiElYoubi #Blackwind #HumanRights
⛓️🇲🇦Moroccan artist, filmmaker, and rapper Mehdi El Youbi, known professionally as Blackwind, is facing criminal prosecution after peacefully exercising his right to artistic expression.
On 13 July 2026, Mehdi was arrested after responding to a police summons. He is now being prosecuted under Article 179 of Morocco`s Penal Code for allegedly "insulting a constitutionally established institution"—a charge that carries a potential prison sentence and substantial fine.
Mehdi`s case is not an isolated incident. He is the fourth Moroccan rapper to face prosecution in 2026, raising serious concerns about growing judicial pressure on artists who express critical or dissenting views.
Artists should never face criminal prosecution for their creative work or peaceful expression.
ARC stands in solidarity with Mehdi El Youbi, his family, and partners calling for the protection of artistic freedom and freedom of expression in Morocco.
✍️ Sign and share the petition thru the link in the bio or scan slide 3.
#ArtisticFreedom #Morocco #MehdiElYoubi #Blackwind #HumanRights
What would a legal framework that truly protects artistic freedom across Africa look like?
On Tuesday, 21 July, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection joins the Centre for Human Rights (@centreforhumanrights), University of Pretoria (@upfacultyoflaw @universityofpretoria), and the Expert Group on the Development of the Model Law under the auspices of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (@achpr_banjul) for a high-level continental webinar on the development of a Model Law on Artistic Freedom in Africa.
Bringing together artists, creatives, civil society organizations, academics, activists, and other stakeholders, the consultation will examine the implementation of ACHPR Resolution 654 and the urgent need to reform statutory censorship systems across the continent.
Together, participants will explore how African states can move away from colonial-era systems and toward human-rights-compliant approaches centered on progressive content classification, protection, and artistic freedom.
📅 Tuesday, 21 July 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. SAST
💻 Online via Zoom
🔗 Register: https://ow.ly/lTOj50Zq7hN
#ArtisticFreedom #ArtisticFreedomInAfrica #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights #AfricanCommission #ACHPR #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #CreativeFreedom #AfricanArtists #ModelLaw
What would a legal framework that truly protects artistic freedom across Africa look like?
On Tuesday, 21 July, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection joins the Centre for Human Rights (@centreforhumanrights), University of Pretoria (@upfacultyoflaw @universityofpretoria), and the Expert Group on the Development of the Model Law under the auspices of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (@achpr_banjul) for a high-level continental webinar on the development of a Model Law on Artistic Freedom in Africa.
Bringing together artists, creatives, civil society organizations, academics, activists, and other stakeholders, the consultation will examine the implementation of ACHPR Resolution 654 and the urgent need to reform statutory censorship systems across the continent.
Together, participants will explore how African states can move away from colonial-era systems and toward human-rights-compliant approaches centered on progressive content classification, protection, and artistic freedom.
📅 Tuesday, 21 July 2026
🕙 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. SAST
💻 Online via Zoom
🔗 Register: https://ow.ly/lTOj50Zq7hN
#ArtisticFreedom #ArtisticFreedomInAfrica #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights #AfricanCommission #ACHPR #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #CreativeFreedom #AfricanArtists #ModelLaw
🇨🇺 LUIS MANUEL OTERO ALCÁNTARA IS FREE!
After five years of unjust imprisonment in Cuba, artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has arrived safely in Miami.
For five years, the Cuban authorities tried to silence his voice and his art. They took away his freedom and then made exile the price of regaining it, but Luis Manuel refused to be silenced.
Today, we celebrate his freedom, his courage, and the extraordinary network of solidarity in Cuba, across the diaspora, and around the world that never stopped standing with him.
Through the campaign Voces Presas, ARC, @crdefenders, and @peninternational have worked tirelessly to demand Luis Manuel’s release and keep his case in the international spotlight.
His release is an extraordinary moment. But the work is not over.
We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and all artists unjustly imprisoned in Cuba, and for an end to the criminalization, censorship, and persecution of artists for their creative expression.
Luis Manuel is free. His voice and his art could not be silenced.
📍 To our friends, colleagues, and partners in Miami: Join us in welcoming Luis Manuel and celebrating his freedom today at the Ermita de la Caridad. Follow @anamelyramos for the confirmed time and details.
Read our joint statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-pen-international-pen-cuba-in-exile-and-civil-rights-defenders-welcome-the-freedom-of-cuban-artist-luis-manuel-otero-alcantara/
#LuisManuelOteroAlcántara #FreeMaykelOsorbo #VocesPresas #ArtisticFreedom #Cuba
@luismanuel.oteroalcantara
@penamerica @amnesty @museo_disidencia_en_cuba @00bienal @yanelys_nl @taniabruguera @cocof_usco @hrf @mov_sanisidro
🇨🇺 LUIS MANUEL OTERO ALCÁNTARA IS FREE!
After five years of unjust imprisonment in Cuba, artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has arrived safely in Miami.
For five years, the Cuban authorities tried to silence his voice and his art. They took away his freedom and then made exile the price of regaining it, but Luis Manuel refused to be silenced.
Today, we celebrate his freedom, his courage, and the extraordinary network of solidarity in Cuba, across the diaspora, and around the world that never stopped standing with him.
Through the campaign Voces Presas, ARC, @crdefenders, and @peninternational have worked tirelessly to demand Luis Manuel’s release and keep his case in the international spotlight.
His release is an extraordinary moment. But the work is not over.
We call for the immediate and unconditional release of Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez and all artists unjustly imprisoned in Cuba, and for an end to the criminalization, censorship, and persecution of artists for their creative expression.
Luis Manuel is free. His voice and his art could not be silenced.
📍 To our friends, colleagues, and partners in Miami: Join us in welcoming Luis Manuel and celebrating his freedom today at the Ermita de la Caridad. Follow @anamelyramos for the confirmed time and details.
Read our joint statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-pen-international-pen-cuba-in-exile-and-civil-rights-defenders-welcome-the-freedom-of-cuban-artist-luis-manuel-otero-alcantara/
#LuisManuelOteroAlcántara #FreeMaykelOsorbo #VocesPresas #ArtisticFreedom #Cuba
@luismanuel.oteroalcantara
@penamerica @amnesty @museo_disidencia_en_cuba @00bienal @yanelys_nl @taniabruguera @cocof_usco @hrf @mov_sanisidro
📢 Consultancy Opportunity #hiring #hiringnow
Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) and ARC – Artists at Risk Connection are seeking an experienced consultant or consultancy team to develop a regional advocacy report on freedom of expression for artists in the Arab region, alongside an advocacy strategy and campaign framework.
This consultancy will explore the conditions shaping artistic freedom across the region and center the experiences, challenges, and resilience of artists and cultural practitioners working in diverse contexts.
We are seeking applicants with experience in cultural rights, artistic freedom initiatives, human rights research, advocacy, and qualitative research methodologies.
📅 Application Deadline: 20 July 2026
🌍 Remote Consultancy
📍 Individual consultants and consultancy teams are welcome to apply
For full details, qualifications, and application requirements, visit the link in our bio.
⚠️ Please apply using the process outlined in the full posting. Submissions made through Instagram comments or direct messages will not be considered.
#ArtisticFreedom #CulturalRights #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights #ArtsAdvocacy #ResearchConsultancy #ConsultancyOpportunity #ArabRegion #ArtistsAtRisk #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #CultureResource #ArtsAndCulture #HumanRightsResearch #Advocacy #CulturalPolicy
📢 Consultancy Opportunity #hiring #hiringnow
Culture Resource (Al-Mawred Al-Thaqafy) and ARC – Artists at Risk Connection are seeking an experienced consultant or consultancy team to develop a regional advocacy report on freedom of expression for artists in the Arab region, alongside an advocacy strategy and campaign framework.
This consultancy will explore the conditions shaping artistic freedom across the region and center the experiences, challenges, and resilience of artists and cultural practitioners working in diverse contexts.
We are seeking applicants with experience in cultural rights, artistic freedom initiatives, human rights research, advocacy, and qualitative research methodologies.
📅 Application Deadline: 20 July 2026
🌍 Remote Consultancy
📍 Individual consultants and consultancy teams are welcome to apply
For full details, qualifications, and application requirements, visit the link in our bio.
⚠️ Please apply using the process outlined in the full posting. Submissions made through Instagram comments or direct messages will not be considered.
#ArtisticFreedom #CulturalRights #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRights #ArtsAdvocacy #ResearchConsultancy #ConsultancyOpportunity #ArabRegion #ArtistsAtRisk #ArtistsAtRiskConnection #CultureResource #ArtsAndCulture #HumanRightsResearch #Advocacy #CulturalPolicy
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