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.
Vietnam
Mai Khoi
Chad
Taigué Ahmed
Hong Kong
Franki C.
Nigeria
DJ Switch
United States
Dread Scott
China
Rahima Mahmut
Exhibitions
The Art of Resistance:
Contemporary Art from
Russia & Belarus
Curated by Vera Shengalia
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
✨ We’re thrilled to announce the selected artists for the third edition of the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship ✨
In response to the ongoing repression of independent artists in Cuba, which has forced many into exile, ARC launched the third edition of the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship to support Cuban artists in exile as they continue creating freely and rebuilding their professional lives abroad.
After a highly rigorous selection process, ARC is proud to welcome an extraordinary cohort of artists whose practices boldly engage with migration, displacement, artistic freedom, and social transformation through a wide range of perspectives and disciplines.
🎉 Meet the 2026 Fellows:
Ahmel Echevarría Peré
(@ahmelechevarria )
Camila Ramírez Lobón
(@camila.r.lobon)
Eliexer Márquez Duany “El Funky”
(@elfunkycuba)
Fernando Fraguela Fosado
(@palenque_films)
Ismario Rodríguez Pérez
(@ismariorodriguezperez)
Julio Llopiz-Casal
(@juliollopizcasal @ti_cheta @fotonovelatransitoria)
Katherine Bisquet Rodríguez
(@katherinebisquet)
Luis Alejandro Yero
(@filmes.del.exodo)
María Esther Lemus Cordero
(@maryestherlemus)
Yanelys Nuñez Leyva
(@yanelys_nl @museo_disidencia_en_cuba)
Over the coming months, we look forward to supporting the growth of their projects and sharing the powerful work emerging from this new fellowship cycle. Stay tuned and discover more about them on our website: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/cuban-migrant-artists-resilience-fellowship/
👏 👏 Congratulations to all the fellows! Welcome to the CMARF community!
✨ We’re thrilled to announce the selected artists for the third edition of the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship ✨
In response to the ongoing repression of independent artists in Cuba, which has forced many into exile, ARC launched the third edition of the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship to support Cuban artists in exile as they continue creating freely and rebuilding their professional lives abroad.
After a highly rigorous selection process, ARC is proud to welcome an extraordinary cohort of artists whose practices boldly engage with migration, displacement, artistic freedom, and social transformation through a wide range of perspectives and disciplines.
🎉 Meet the 2026 Fellows:
Ahmel Echevarría Peré
(@ahmelechevarria )
Camila Ramírez Lobón
(@camila.r.lobon)
Eliexer Márquez Duany “El Funky”
(@elfunkycuba)
Fernando Fraguela Fosado
(@palenque_films)
Ismario Rodríguez Pérez
(@ismariorodriguezperez)
Julio Llopiz-Casal
(@juliollopizcasal @ti_cheta @fotonovelatransitoria)
Katherine Bisquet Rodríguez
(@katherinebisquet)
Luis Alejandro Yero
(@filmes.del.exodo)
María Esther Lemus Cordero
(@maryestherlemus)
Yanelys Nuñez Leyva
(@yanelys_nl @museo_disidencia_en_cuba)
Over the coming months, we look forward to supporting the growth of their projects and sharing the powerful work emerging from this new fellowship cycle. Stay tuned and discover more about them on our website: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/cuban-migrant-artists-resilience-fellowship/
👏 👏 Congratulations to all the fellows! Welcome to the CMARF community!
UPDATE: ARC is deeply saddened to learn of the killing of additional artists during the January protests in Iran and calls on the authorities to stop their assault on and detention of protesters, and on the international community to take urgent action to halt escalating violations of human rights and humanitarian norms.
Newly identified victims include Babak Jamali, a singer with the Rasa music group killed in Arak, and Ghazal Aghaei Lindi, a nature photographer killed in Tehran, both reportedly killed by government forces.
🔗 Our statement has been updated to reflect this new information: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-condemns-attacks-on-artists-by-iranian-forces/
UPDATE: ARC is deeply saddened to learn of the killing of additional artists during the January protests in Iran and calls on the authorities to stop their assault on and detention of protesters, and on the international community to take urgent action to halt escalating violations of human rights and humanitarian norms.
Newly identified victims include Babak Jamali, a singer with the Rasa music group killed in Arak, and Ghazal Aghaei Lindi, a nature photographer killed in Tehran, both reportedly killed by government forces.
🔗 Our statement has been updated to reflect this new information: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-condemns-attacks-on-artists-by-iranian-forces/
✍️ CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: IHRAF – Hannah Arendt Festival (NYC, June 5–7, 2026)
The International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM) invites artists and performers to submit work for the IHRAF: Hannah Arendt Festival, celebrating the life and ideas of political thinker Hannah Arendt. Submissions are open for live performance work in any discipline.
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2026
🔗 Learn more & submit: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/ihraf-hannah-arendt
@ihrartmovement #IHRAF #HannahArendt
✍️ CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: IHRAF – Hannah Arendt Festival (NYC, June 5–7, 2026)
The International Human Rights Art Movement (IHRAM) invites artists and performers to submit work for the IHRAF: Hannah Arendt Festival, celebrating the life and ideas of political thinker Hannah Arendt. Submissions are open for live performance work in any discipline.
📅 Deadline: February 15, 2026
🔗 Learn more & submit: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/ihraf-hannah-arendt
@ihrartmovement #IHRAF #HannahArendt
How are young artists and cultural organizers using creativity to resist authoritarianism, build solidarity, and reimagine participation and justice?
ARC warmly invites you to the opening session of Solidarity Loom, a new global virtual series weaving a network of engaged creatives responding to rising authoritarianism through arts and culture.
The first gathering, Youth, Art, and Activism, centers stories of creative resistance and artivism from across regions—offering space to listen, reflect, and connect across contexts.
This session brings together young artists and cultural organizers from Serbia, the Philippines, Kenya, and the United States, who will share how their work engages community, memory, justice, and collective action in challenging political and social environments.
Join us in weaving a shared space for reflection, connection, and collective creative action!
Youth, Art, and Activism
Thursday, January 22, 2026
10:00 AM EST
Virtual | Open to a global audience (in English)
View the event details and speakers` bios: https://impactart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/0122-Solidarity-Loom.pdf
Register online: https://forms.gle/jLEADnnbHRa7gr8TA
How are young artists and cultural organizers using creativity to resist authoritarianism, build solidarity, and reimagine participation and justice?
ARC warmly invites you to the opening session of Solidarity Loom, a new global virtual series weaving a network of engaged creatives responding to rising authoritarianism through arts and culture.
The first gathering, Youth, Art, and Activism, centers stories of creative resistance and artivism from across regions—offering space to listen, reflect, and connect across contexts.
This session brings together young artists and cultural organizers from Serbia, the Philippines, Kenya, and the United States, who will share how their work engages community, memory, justice, and collective action in challenging political and social environments.
Join us in weaving a shared space for reflection, connection, and collective creative action!
Youth, Art, and Activism
Thursday, January 22, 2026
10:00 AM EST
Virtual | Open to a global audience (in English)
View the event details and speakers` bios: https://impactart.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/0122-Solidarity-Loom.pdf
Register online: https://forms.gle/jLEADnnbHRa7gr8TA
Amid an internet blackout and violent government crackdown that has targeted thousands of protestors across Iran, ARC joins PEN America, the #FreeNarges Coalition, and 30+ organizations to sound the alarm about grave threats to jailed writers, journalists, human rights defenders, and artists.
"We stress that the lives and safety of those more vulnerable under detention in Iran must not be forgotten. Human rights defenders, journalists, writers, artists, and those prosecuted due to their exercise of freedom of assembly and expression are at the forefront of the peaceful struggle for fundamental human rights. They must be protected and immediately and unconditionally released," the letter reads.
ARC joins the call for the release of all unjustly jailed for their expression, full and unrestricted access to internet and telecommunications services, and independent investigations into serious human rights violations committed by Iranian authorities.
Read our joint statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/joint-statement-on-irans-detainees-at-high-risk-amidst-a-communications-blackout/
@penamerica @nargesfoundation @frontlinedefenders @rsfinternational @article19org
Amid an internet blackout and violent government crackdown that has targeted thousands of protestors across Iran, ARC joins PEN America, the #FreeNarges Coalition, and 30+ organizations to sound the alarm about grave threats to jailed writers, journalists, human rights defenders, and artists.
"We stress that the lives and safety of those more vulnerable under detention in Iran must not be forgotten. Human rights defenders, journalists, writers, artists, and those prosecuted due to their exercise of freedom of assembly and expression are at the forefront of the peaceful struggle for fundamental human rights. They must be protected and immediately and unconditionally released," the letter reads.
ARC joins the call for the release of all unjustly jailed for their expression, full and unrestricted access to internet and telecommunications services, and independent investigations into serious human rights violations committed by Iranian authorities.
Read our joint statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/joint-statement-on-irans-detainees-at-high-risk-amidst-a-communications-blackout/
@penamerica @nargesfoundation @frontlinedefenders @rsfinternational @article19org
🇮🇷 ARC strongly condemns reported killings and attacks against artists in Iran amid nationwide protests that began on 28 December 2025.
Despite severe information blackouts, credible human rights organizations and international media report that thousands of civilians have been killed.
Among the victims are artists Mehdi Salahshour, Javad Ganji, Rubina Aminian, and Soroush Soleimani, who were shot and killed by government forces.
ARC mourns these losses and calls on Iranian authorities to immediately halt violence, arbitrary detention, and repression against protesters and artists.
🔗 Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-condemns-attacks-on-artists-by-iranian-forces/
#Iran2026 #ArtisticFreedom #ArtistsAtRisk #HumanRights
🇮🇷 ARC strongly condemns reported killings and attacks against artists in Iran amid nationwide protests that began on 28 December 2025.
Despite severe information blackouts, credible human rights organizations and international media report that thousands of civilians have been killed.
Among the victims are artists Mehdi Salahshour, Javad Ganji, Rubina Aminian, and Soroush Soleimani, who were shot and killed by government forces.
ARC mourns these losses and calls on Iranian authorities to immediately halt violence, arbitrary detention, and repression against protesters and artists.
🔗 Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-condemns-attacks-on-artists-by-iranian-forces/
#Iran2026 #ArtisticFreedom #ArtistsAtRisk #HumanRights
🇹🇿⛓️ ARC calls on authorities in Tanzania to end the judicial harassment of Emanuel Mathias, a multimedia artist and art teacher who was arbitrarily detained on 11 December in Dar es Salaam and later released on bail without charge.
He was detained just one week after his wife gave birth to their child—placing his family in a particularly vulnerable situation. Despite his release, he remains subject to restrictive police conditions.
His detention violated Tanzanian law and comes amid a wider crackdown on artists and civil society following the recent presidential election.
🔗 Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-calls-for-end-to-harassment-of-tanzanian-artist-emanuel-mathias/
#Tanzania #EmanuelMathias #ArtisticFreedom #ArtistsAtRisk #HumanRights #Tanzania
🇹🇿⛓️ ARC calls on authorities in Tanzania to end the judicial harassment of Emanuel Mathias, a multimedia artist and art teacher who was arbitrarily detained on 11 December in Dar es Salaam and later released on bail without charge.
He was detained just one week after his wife gave birth to their child—placing his family in a particularly vulnerable situation. Despite his release, he remains subject to restrictive police conditions.
His detention violated Tanzanian law and comes amid a wider crackdown on artists and civil society following the recent presidential election.
🔗 Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-calls-for-end-to-harassment-of-tanzanian-artist-emanuel-mathias/
#Tanzania #EmanuelMathias #ArtisticFreedom #ArtistsAtRisk #HumanRights #Tanzania
🚨 Artistic freedom depends on international cooperation.
ARC is alarmed by the U.S. decision to withdraw from dozens of international and UN-affiliated bodies, including the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), a key institution safeguarding artistic freedom and cultural rights worldwide.
“International cooperation is essential to protecting artists at risk.”
— Julie Trébault, Executive Director, ARC
At a time of rising censorship, digital surveillance, forced displacement, and gender-based violence against artists, stepping away from these frameworks puts creative voices at greater risk.
#ArtistsAtRisk #ArtisticFreedom #CulturalRights #FreeExpression
@peninternational @penamerica @magdalena_moreno @freemuse.98 @otm.network @artistic_freedom_initiative @culture_action_europe @treatmentactiongroup @minorityrightsgroup @cartoonistsrights @aliph_foundation @worldmonumentsfund @kulturradet.se @urgentactionfund
🚨 Artistic freedom depends on international cooperation.
ARC is alarmed by the U.S. decision to withdraw from dozens of international and UN-affiliated bodies, including the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA), a key institution safeguarding artistic freedom and cultural rights worldwide.
“International cooperation is essential to protecting artists at risk.”
— Julie Trébault, Executive Director, ARC
At a time of rising censorship, digital surveillance, forced displacement, and gender-based violence against artists, stepping away from these frameworks puts creative voices at greater risk.
#ArtistsAtRisk #ArtisticFreedom #CulturalRights #FreeExpression
@peninternational @penamerica @magdalena_moreno @freemuse.98 @otm.network @artistic_freedom_initiative @culture_action_europe @treatmentactiongroup @minorityrightsgroup @cartoonistsrights @aliph_foundation @worldmonumentsfund @kulturradet.se @urgentactionfund
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