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.
Colombia
Colectiva Mujeres Muralistas
Senegal
Didier Awadi
Afghanistan
Zahra Abrahimi
Vietnam
Mai Khoi
Chad
Taigué Ahmed
Hong Kong
Franki C.
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
🚨TIP OF THE MONTH: Shift your mindset
“Simply surviving as an artist is already a success.”
From mindset to strategy, artist sustainability isn’t separate from creativity, it’s part of it. Defining your mission, understanding your value, and finding balance are essential to building a lasting practice.
Key insights from David Guerra’s (@marcaribenet) session with the Cuba Cohort as part of ARC’s Artist Resilience Toolkit.
*****************
Cambia tu mentalidad
“Sobrevivir como artista ya es un éxito.”
Desde la mentalidad hasta la estrategia, la sostenibilidad artística no está separada de la creación, es parte de ella. Definir tu misión, entender tu valor y encontrar equilibrio son claves para construir una práctica duradera.
Reflexiones clave de la sesión de David Guerra con la cohorte de Cuba como parte del Artist Resilience Toolkit de ARC.
#ArtistResilienceToolkit #CreativeSustainability #ArtAndStrategy #ArtistSupport #CulturalWork #CreativeCareers #ArtCommunity #CubaCohort #Artists #ContemporaryArt #ArtPractice #CMARF
🚨TIP OF THE MONTH: Shift your mindset
“Simply surviving as an artist is already a success.”
From mindset to strategy, artist sustainability isn’t separate from creativity, it’s part of it. Defining your mission, understanding your value, and finding balance are essential to building a lasting practice.
Key insights from David Guerra’s (@marcaribenet) session with the Cuba Cohort as part of ARC’s Artist Resilience Toolkit.
*****************
Cambia tu mentalidad
“Sobrevivir como artista ya es un éxito.”
Desde la mentalidad hasta la estrategia, la sostenibilidad artística no está separada de la creación, es parte de ella. Definir tu misión, entender tu valor y encontrar equilibrio son claves para construir una práctica duradera.
Reflexiones clave de la sesión de David Guerra con la cohorte de Cuba como parte del Artist Resilience Toolkit de ARC.
#ArtistResilienceToolkit #CreativeSustainability #ArtAndStrategy #ArtistSupport #CulturalWork #CreativeCareers #ArtCommunity #CubaCohort #Artists #ContemporaryArt #ArtPractice #CMARF
At a time when creators face increasing pressure, censorship, and uncertainty, spaces like the Movies that Matter Festival (@moviesthatmatterfestival) remind us why storytelling still matters. It protects, amplifies, and connects voices that refuse to be silenced while confronting the realities shaping our world.
From 20–28 March in The Hague, filmmakers, actors, activists, and human rights defenders came together to share stories that challenge, provoke, and push for change.
ARC was proud to be part of the festival. Julie Trébault joined the Dutch Focus Jury alongside Ondřej Kamenický, the director of International Human Rights Film Festival One World (@jedensvetcz), and Rohan Berry Crickmar (@rohanbcinmotion), the Festival Manager of the Dublin International Film Festival (@dublinfilmfestival).
Julie also moderated the panel Backsliding Democracies, Impact & Independent Storytelling, the panel brought together Debra Zimmerman (@dzwmm), the Executive Director of Women Make Movies (@womenmakemovies), Tommy Gulliksen, Norwegian documentary director and filmmaker, Robert Zuber, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and producer, and Leonard Cortana (@leonardcortana), researcher, curator, and impact strategist at EURODOC (@eurodoc) for a timely and urgent conversation on democratic backsliding, the growing pressures facing independent media and filmmakers, and the critical role artistic freedom, documentary storytelling, and impact campaigns continue to play in resisting censorship, defending civic space, and fostering public dialogue.
🎥 Spokenword by @luanbuleshkaj
#MoviesThatMatter #ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRightsFilm #SupportFilmmakers #ImpactStorytelling #FilmForChange #CreativeFreedom
At a time when creators face increasing pressure, censorship, and uncertainty, spaces like the Movies that Matter Festival (@moviesthatmatterfestival) remind us why storytelling still matters. It protects, amplifies, and connects voices that refuse to be silenced while confronting the realities shaping our world.
From 20–28 March in The Hague, filmmakers, actors, activists, and human rights defenders came together to share stories that challenge, provoke, and push for change.
ARC was proud to be part of the festival. Julie Trébault joined the Dutch Focus Jury alongside Ondřej Kamenický, the director of International Human Rights Film Festival One World (@jedensvetcz), and Rohan Berry Crickmar (@rohanbcinmotion), the Festival Manager of the Dublin International Film Festival (@dublinfilmfestival).
Julie also moderated the panel Backsliding Democracies, Impact & Independent Storytelling, the panel brought together Debra Zimmerman (@dzwmm), the Executive Director of Women Make Movies (@womenmakemovies), Tommy Gulliksen, Norwegian documentary director and filmmaker, Robert Zuber, journalist, documentary filmmaker, and producer, and Leonard Cortana (@leonardcortana), researcher, curator, and impact strategist at EURODOC (@eurodoc) for a timely and urgent conversation on democratic backsliding, the growing pressures facing independent media and filmmakers, and the critical role artistic freedom, documentary storytelling, and impact campaigns continue to play in resisting censorship, defending civic space, and fostering public dialogue.
🎥 Spokenword by @luanbuleshkaj
#MoviesThatMatter #ArtisticFreedom #FreedomOfExpression #HumanRightsFilm #SupportFilmmakers #ImpactStorytelling #FilmForChange #CreativeFreedom
Yesterday, Texas executed James Broadnax.
James was a poet, an artist, and a man whose words carried hope, reflection, and humanity. His execution is a devastating loss, and a stark reminder of what is at stake when artistic expression is used as evidence against the people who create it.
Art should never be treated as a crime.
As many mark Fall of Freedom (@falloffreedom) Day today, ARC reflects on the urgent need to defend artistic expression and the humanity of those whose voices are too often criminalized.
We mourn James, honor his life and work, and stand with all those fighting for justice.
#JamesBroadnax #ArtIsNotACrime #FreedomOfExpression
Yesterday, Texas executed James Broadnax.
James was a poet, an artist, and a man whose words carried hope, reflection, and humanity. His execution is a devastating loss, and a stark reminder of what is at stake when artistic expression is used as evidence against the people who create it.
Art should never be treated as a crime.
As many mark Fall of Freedom (@falloffreedom) Day today, ARC reflects on the urgent need to defend artistic expression and the humanity of those whose voices are too often criminalized.
We mourn James, honor his life and work, and stand with all those fighting for justice.
#JamesBroadnax #ArtIsNotACrime #FreedomOfExpression
A seminar, a screen full of faces, and a pen in motion. ✏️
During a recent professional development session, Cuban fellow María Esther Lemus Cordero (@maryestherlemus) sketched in real time, capturing her fellow artists who showed up and the ideas being shared.
A simple gesture that says a great deal about attention, care, and community 🤝
Featuring session speaker Ya Yun Teng (@theofficialcloud_yayun) from New York Foundation for the Arts.
Explore more of María Esther through the link in bio.
#ArtistCommunity #CreativeProcess #ArtInProgress #CubanArtists #MigrantArtists #ArtistSupport #CreativeExchange #SketchbookMoments #ArtAndConnection #CMARF
A seminar, a screen full of faces, and a pen in motion. ✏️
During a recent professional development session, Cuban fellow María Esther Lemus Cordero (@maryestherlemus) sketched in real time, capturing her fellow artists who showed up and the ideas being shared.
A simple gesture that says a great deal about attention, care, and community 🤝
Featuring session speaker Ya Yun Teng (@theofficialcloud_yayun) from New York Foundation for the Arts.
Explore more of María Esther through the link in bio.
#ArtistCommunity #CreativeProcess #ArtInProgress #CubanArtists #MigrantArtists #ArtistSupport #CreativeExchange #SketchbookMoments #ArtAndConnection #CMARF
How do we confront the afterlives of extraction?
As part of PEN America’s World Voices Festival (@penworldvoices), ARC hosts a conversation about power, memory, and how we decide where and to whom cultural memory belongs.
From human remains to cultural artifacts to iconic works of art.
Featuring curator and ethicist Meghan Bill, director, playwright, and scholar Madeline Sayet & Peruvian poet, writer and chronicler Gabriela Wiener, moderated by ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault.
In a moment where cultural narratives are contested and creators face growing pressure, spaces like this matter.
🎟️ Tickets are limited. Join us in New York before it sells out, check out the link in our bio.
For 50% off tickets, use promo code - ARCWVF26
This event is also part of Fall of Freedom national May Day Action.
#FallOfFreedom #WorldVoicesFestival #ArtAndPower #CulturalMemory #CreativeFreedom
How do we confront the afterlives of extraction?
As part of PEN America’s World Voices Festival (@penworldvoices), ARC hosts a conversation about power, memory, and how we decide where and to whom cultural memory belongs.
From human remains to cultural artifacts to iconic works of art.
Featuring curator and ethicist Meghan Bill, director, playwright, and scholar Madeline Sayet & Peruvian poet, writer and chronicler Gabriela Wiener, moderated by ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault.
In a moment where cultural narratives are contested and creators face growing pressure, spaces like this matter.
🎟️ Tickets are limited. Join us in New York before it sells out, check out the link in our bio.
For 50% off tickets, use promo code - ARCWVF26
This event is also part of Fall of Freedom national May Day Action.
#FallOfFreedom #WorldVoicesFestival #ArtAndPower #CulturalMemory #CreativeFreedom
James Broadnax is set to be executed on April 30 for a crime he didn’t commit.
His poetry was used against him in court.
Art is not a crime.
We cannot let this move forward.
Take action:
Sign the petition. Contact Texas Governor, Greg Abbott (@governorabbott). Share this.
Record your own video. Say his name.
#SaveJames
Tag + follow @justiceforjamesbroadnax
#NationalPoetryMonth #ArtIsNotACrime #TexasJustice #PoetryForJustice #HumanRights
James Broadnax is set to be executed on April 30 for a crime he didn’t commit.
His poetry was used against him in court.
Art is not a crime.
We cannot let this move forward.
Take action:
Sign the petition. Contact Texas Governor, Greg Abbott (@governorabbott). Share this.
Record your own video. Say his name.
#SaveJames
Tag + follow @justiceforjamesbroadnax
#NationalPoetryMonth #ArtIsNotACrime #TexasJustice #PoetryForJustice #HumanRights
James Broadnax is a poet, mentor, and artist. He is also scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 30 for a crime he did not commit.
This National Poetry Month, we are honored to share James reading his poem, Cloud View, recorded while incarcerated.
His words remind us of what is at stake. Art is an expression of humanity. It should never be used as evidence to silence, condemn, or execute.
Sign the petition at jamesbroadnax.org. Follow and tag @justiceforjamesbroadnax. Share your own video using #SaveJames.
#SaveJames #NationalPoetryMonth
#BlackArtists #ArtIsNotACrime #PoetryForJustice #EndTheDeathPenalty #PoetryMonth #ArtistsForJustice
James Broadnax is a poet, mentor, and artist. He is also scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 30 for a crime he did not commit.
This National Poetry Month, we are honored to share James reading his poem, Cloud View, recorded while incarcerated.
His words remind us of what is at stake. Art is an expression of humanity. It should never be used as evidence to silence, condemn, or execute.
Sign the petition at jamesbroadnax.org. Follow and tag @justiceforjamesbroadnax. Share your own video using #SaveJames.
#SaveJames #NationalPoetryMonth
#BlackArtists #ArtIsNotACrime #PoetryForJustice #EndTheDeathPenalty #PoetryMonth #ArtistsForJustice
Art is not neutral.
And it’s definitely not meant to be silenced.
Censorship in the arts is rising and artists are pushing back.
ARC is amplifying the UNDOXX Artist Hub in New York as part of our Artist Resilience Toolkit, creating space for artists to speak openly, build solidarity, and find one another in a moment that demands it ✊
Expect honest conversation, shared strategies, and real connection with artists who refuse to be quiet
Free and open to all 🆓
Wednesday, April 29
Brooklyn, NY
Find your people. Build what comes next.
Check out @_undoxx_ to register & for more details.
#ArtsCensorship #BrooklynArtists #ArtistResilience #CommunityBuilding #BrooklynArts #ArtistsSupportingArtists #CensorshipAwareness
@nyculture @ncacensorship @dontdelete.art @1acommittee @ihrartmovement @nyfacurrent
Art is not neutral.
And it’s definitely not meant to be silenced.
Censorship in the arts is rising and artists are pushing back.
ARC is amplifying the UNDOXX Artist Hub in New York as part of our Artist Resilience Toolkit, creating space for artists to speak openly, build solidarity, and find one another in a moment that demands it ✊
Expect honest conversation, shared strategies, and real connection with artists who refuse to be quiet
Free and open to all 🆓
Wednesday, April 29
Brooklyn, NY
Find your people. Build what comes next.
Check out @_undoxx_ to register & for more details.
#ArtsCensorship #BrooklynArtists #ArtistResilience #CommunityBuilding #BrooklynArts #ArtistsSupportingArtists #CensorshipAwareness
@nyculture @ncacensorship @dontdelete.art @1acommittee @ihrartmovement @nyfacurrent
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