Championing Artistic Freedom: Fellowship Supports Cuban Artists in Exile
ARC Announces the 2026 Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellows
(New York | Paris) — As repression in Cuba continues to force independent artists into exile, as documented in Método Cuba, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is proud to announce the ten artists selected for the 2026 cohort of the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship, now in its third edition.
Building on the first and second editions of the fellowship, this new cohort reaffirms ARC’s long-term commitment to serving as a source of protection, resilience, and empowerment for Cuban artists who have been forced to leave their country as a result of their artistic expression and pursuit of artistic freedom.
This year, ARC received 97 applications from artists based in 17 countries, with nearly 60 percent of applicants having left Cuba within the past three years. The selected fellows represent a diverse and exceptional group of artists and cultural professionals working across disciplines whose practices engage with themes of migration, displacement, artistic freedom, cultural rights, human rights, gender equality, and social change.
“The sustained repression of independent artists in Cuba, combined with the profound precarity of exile, places extraordinary pressure on artists and cultural workers,” said Julie Trébault, Executive Director of Artists at Risk Connection. “The third edition of this fellowship reflects both the urgency of the moment and the strength of the Cuban artistic community in exile. Through this program, ARC aims to ensure that artists are supported to continue producing ambitious, socially engaged work that speaks to universal values and shared struggles.”
The core objective of the Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship is to provide ten Cuban migrant artists with a resilience grant of USD 7,000, enabling them to develop their artistic projects. Beyond financial support, the fellowship offers a comprehensive framework of specialized tools and resources designed to support Cuban artists as they navigate new professional and cultural environments abroad. Over a six-month period, fellows receive personalized mentorship, peer-to-peer collaborations, and professional development training sessions, helping them strengthen their artistic practice, adapt to new contexts, and build sustainable careers in exile. The fellowship also prioritizes network-building, supporting fellows in establishing meaningful connections within a global artistic community and fostering collaborations that transcend geographical and political boundaries.
The program will culminate in a group exhibition in Fall 2026, presenting new work developed during the fellowship by artists from all three cohorts.
The 2026 Fellows are:
- Ahmel Echevarría Peré – writer
- Camila Ramírez Lobón – visual artist
- Eliexer Márquez Duany “El Funky” – musician, rapper
- Fernando Fraguela Fosado – filmmaker
- Ismario Rodríguez Pérez – journalist, filmmaker
- Julio Llopiz-Casal – visual artist, designer
- Katherine Bisquet Rodríguez – writer
- Luis Alejandro Yero – filmmaker
- María Esther Lemus Cordero – visual and comic artist
- Yanelys Nuñez Leyva – art historian, curator, producer