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.
Chad
Taigué Ahmed
Hong Kong
Franki C.
Nigeria
DJ Switch
United States
Dread Scott
China
Rahima Mahmut
Turkey
Aslı Erdoğan
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
Earlier this month, ARC’s Executive Director Julie Trébault spoke with The New York Times, where she discussed the growing threats of ideologically based funding cuts and censorship facing U.S. museums.
“This is authoritarian playbook 101: controlling the narrative, reshaping history, silencing marginalized communities.”
At ARC, we stand with museums and cultural institutions defending the freedom to tell complex, inclusive, and challenging histories — free from political interference.
🔗 Read the full article in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/arts/design/museums-trump-funding-cuts.html
@nytimes #museumsmatter #artisticfreedom #academicfreedom
Earlier this month, ARC’s Executive Director Julie Trébault spoke with The New York Times, where she discussed the growing threats of ideologically based funding cuts and censorship facing U.S. museums.
“This is authoritarian playbook 101: controlling the narrative, reshaping history, silencing marginalized communities.”
At ARC, we stand with museums and cultural institutions defending the freedom to tell complex, inclusive, and challenging histories — free from political interference.
🔗 Read the full article in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/arts/design/museums-trump-funding-cuts.html
@nytimes #museumsmatter #artisticfreedom #academicfreedom
🎨 On #InternationalArtistDay 2025, we celebrate artists who spark change—from the US, to Guatemala, Iran, Uganda, Myanmar, and beyond.
“It was like a ball of dust, and you could see nothing. And then the dust cleared, with slippers, robes, and blood on the street. That was the moment when I realized: I don’t think that’s supposed to happen. I don’t think that’s supposed to happen in a country.”
Bart, a Burmese visual artist, rose to prominence for publishing a viral digital art series, Seeing Red, which depicted his live reactions to Myanmar’s Spring Revolution—the mass demonstrations following the brutal February 2021 military coup. By day, he joined protesters on the streets, handing out posters and flyers; by night, he drew and painted. Today, Bart continues his socially-engaged creative work while living in exile.
Read his story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/bart-was-not-here/
Image credit: Omen: Part 1, Image courtesy of the artist
#Myanmar #ArtistSpotlight @bart_was_not_here
🎨 On #InternationalArtistDay 2025, we celebrate artists who spark change—from the US, to Guatemala, Iran, Uganda, Myanmar, and beyond.
“It was like a ball of dust, and you could see nothing. And then the dust cleared, with slippers, robes, and blood on the street. That was the moment when I realized: I don’t think that’s supposed to happen. I don’t think that’s supposed to happen in a country.”
Bart, a Burmese visual artist, rose to prominence for publishing a viral digital art series, Seeing Red, which depicted his live reactions to Myanmar’s Spring Revolution—the mass demonstrations following the brutal February 2021 military coup. By day, he joined protesters on the streets, handing out posters and flyers; by night, he drew and painted. Today, Bart continues his socially-engaged creative work while living in exile.
Read his story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/bart-was-not-here/
Image credit: Omen: Part 1, Image courtesy of the artist
#Myanmar #ArtistSpotlight @bart_was_not_here
Only TWO days left to see Don’t Look Now: A Defense of Free Expression — a powerful exhibition in New York organized by @artatatimelikethis!
Bringing together 24 contemporary artists whose work has been censored or blacklisted — including Marilyn Minter, Shepard Fairey, and Dread Scott — the show confronts the urgent threats to artistic freedom in the US and around the world.
✨ ARC previously featured Dread Scott in one of our Artist Stories. Read more about his courageous work here:
artistsatriskconnection.org/safety-guide-profile/dread-scott
Learn more about the exhibition:
🎨 artatatimelikethis.com/dont-look-now
🗓️ On view through October 25
📍 127 Elizabeth St., Nolita, NYC
Free expression is a human right. Stand with artists at risk — see the show before it closes!
#artistsatrisk #freeexpression #DontLookNow #nycart #ArtAtATimeLikeThis #humanrights #artisticfreedom @dreadscottart
Image credit: “Goddam” (2022) by Dread Scott. Image courtesy of the artist.
Only TWO days left to see Don’t Look Now: A Defense of Free Expression — a powerful exhibition in New York organized by @artatatimelikethis!
Bringing together 24 contemporary artists whose work has been censored or blacklisted — including Marilyn Minter, Shepard Fairey, and Dread Scott — the show confronts the urgent threats to artistic freedom in the US and around the world.
✨ ARC previously featured Dread Scott in one of our Artist Stories. Read more about his courageous work here:
artistsatriskconnection.org/safety-guide-profile/dread-scott
Learn more about the exhibition:
🎨 artatatimelikethis.com/dont-look-now
🗓️ On view through October 25
📍 127 Elizabeth St., Nolita, NYC
Free expression is a human right. Stand with artists at risk — see the show before it closes!
#artistsatrisk #freeexpression #DontLookNow #nycart #ArtAtATimeLikeThis #humanrights #artisticfreedom @dreadscottart
Image credit: “Goddam” (2022) by Dread Scott. Image courtesy of the artist.
"They can send whatever messages they want, but I’m going to keep on doing what I do...I want to inspire other Saudi artists. I want to inspire the younger generations to do what they believe they were put on this earth to do.” — Ms. Saffaa
A multi-talented street artist, activist, and Ph.D. student, Ms. Saffaa’s artwork has empowered and fueled a social movement opposing Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship laws. Since 2012, Saffaa, who maintains partial anonymity to avoid harassment, has used her artwork to amplify the voices of Saudi women and raise visibility about the repressive conditions and restrictions they face.
Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/ms-saffaa/
Image credit: "I Am My Own Guardian", Image courtesy of the artist.
#saudiartists #IAmMyOwnGuardian #ArtistSpotlight
"They can send whatever messages they want, but I’m going to keep on doing what I do...I want to inspire other Saudi artists. I want to inspire the younger generations to do what they believe they were put on this earth to do.” — Ms. Saffaa
A multi-talented street artist, activist, and Ph.D. student, Ms. Saffaa’s artwork has empowered and fueled a social movement opposing Saudi Arabia’s male guardianship laws. Since 2012, Saffaa, who maintains partial anonymity to avoid harassment, has used her artwork to amplify the voices of Saudi women and raise visibility about the repressive conditions and restrictions they face.
Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/ms-saffaa/
Image credit: "I Am My Own Guardian", Image courtesy of the artist.
#saudiartists #IAmMyOwnGuardian #ArtistSpotlight
“Our greatest fear is that censorship and self-censorship become so normalized that entire communities lose access to cultural expression that reflects their experiences.”
ARC’s Executive Director Julie Trébault spoke with Le Devoir about the alarming rise of cultural repression in the United States — and why protecting artistic freedom is not optional, but essential.
✊ Culture is a right, not a privilege.
🔗 Full interview (FR): https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/923109/etats-unis-guerres-culturelles
#ArtisticFreedom #FreedomToCreate #CulturalRights #StopCensorship #Censure #FreeCulture #HumanRights
📰 @ledevoir
“Our greatest fear is that censorship and self-censorship become so normalized that entire communities lose access to cultural expression that reflects their experiences.”
ARC’s Executive Director Julie Trébault spoke with Le Devoir about the alarming rise of cultural repression in the United States — and why protecting artistic freedom is not optional, but essential.
✊ Culture is a right, not a privilege.
🔗 Full interview (FR): https://www.ledevoir.com/culture/923109/etats-unis-guerres-culturelles
#ArtisticFreedom #FreedomToCreate #CulturalRights #StopCensorship #Censure #FreeCulture #HumanRights
📰 @ledevoir
ARC is deeply committed to supporting Cuban artists in exile through our Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship (CMARF) — a program that provides financial support, training, and global visibility to creatives forced from their homeland but determined to keep creating.
One of our remarkable past fellows is @cymoonv, a Cuban artist in exile. A self-taught digital creator, she explores alternative identities through the lens of self-perception, queerness, and posthuman subjectivities. Her work investigates themes of identity, intimacy, and the imagining of post-natural bodies and worlds.
We are currently seeking a Program Consultant to lead CMARF and help us continue uplifting artists like her.
👉 Apply to the CMARF Program Consultant job call: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/.../consultant-cuban.../
👉 Learn more about the fellowship: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/cuban-migrant-artists-resilience-fellowship/
Image courtesy of the artist.
#cubanartist #ArtisticFreedom #Cuba #SOSCuba #digitalart
ARC is deeply committed to supporting Cuban artists in exile through our Cuban Migrant Artists Resilience Fellowship (CMARF) — a program that provides financial support, training, and global visibility to creatives forced from their homeland but determined to keep creating.
One of our remarkable past fellows is @cymoonv, a Cuban artist in exile. A self-taught digital creator, she explores alternative identities through the lens of self-perception, queerness, and posthuman subjectivities. Her work investigates themes of identity, intimacy, and the imagining of post-natural bodies and worlds.
We are currently seeking a Program Consultant to lead CMARF and help us continue uplifting artists like her.
👉 Apply to the CMARF Program Consultant job call: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/.../consultant-cuban.../
👉 Learn more about the fellowship: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/cuban-migrant-artists-resilience-fellowship/
Image courtesy of the artist.
#cubanartist #ArtisticFreedom #Cuba #SOSCuba #digitalart
📸Take a look at our photos from last week`s plenary session “You Are Not Alone: Safety and Solidarity” as part of the #NPN2025Conference “Stormshaping: Adaptation, Resistance, Imagination” held on Wednesday 8 October in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Featured speakers included:
✨ Giselle Byrd – Executive Director, The Theatre Offensive
✨ Anjee Helstrup Alvarez – Executive Director of MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana)
Learn more: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-national-performance-network-2025-conference/
@thegisellekristina @anjeearte
📸Take a look at our photos from last week`s plenary session “You Are Not Alone: Safety and Solidarity” as part of the #NPN2025Conference “Stormshaping: Adaptation, Resistance, Imagination” held on Wednesday 8 October in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Featured speakers included:
✨ Giselle Byrd – Executive Director, The Theatre Offensive
✨ Anjee Helstrup Alvarez – Executive Director of MACLA (Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana)
Learn more: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-national-performance-network-2025-conference/
@thegisellekristina @anjeearte
“I can’t engage in the art world unless I’m actively having a conversation about institutional critique.” — Demian DinéYazhi’ @heterogeneoushomosexual
On Indigenous Peoples` Day, ARC looks back at a powerful voice from one of our past summits.
At ARC’s and @artatatimelikethis’s “Dangerous Art / Endangered Artists” summit in June 2024, Indigenous-American artist-activist Demian DinéYazhi’ shared how they grapple with the hypocrisy of artistic institutions in “Is Censorship Discriminatory?” a panel with Lorena Wolffer @lorenawolffer, Shahzia Sikander @shahzia.sikander, and Jasmine Wahi @browngirlcurator.
To watch the full panel, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0kZ_z2yUic
Learn more about our “Dangerous Art / Endangered Artists” summit: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/exhibition/dangerous-art-endangered-artists-summit/
#indigenouspeoplesday
“I can’t engage in the art world unless I’m actively having a conversation about institutional critique.” — Demian DinéYazhi’ @heterogeneoushomosexual
On Indigenous Peoples` Day, ARC looks back at a powerful voice from one of our past summits.
At ARC’s and @artatatimelikethis’s “Dangerous Art / Endangered Artists” summit in June 2024, Indigenous-American artist-activist Demian DinéYazhi’ shared how they grapple with the hypocrisy of artistic institutions in “Is Censorship Discriminatory?” a panel with Lorena Wolffer @lorenawolffer, Shahzia Sikander @shahzia.sikander, and Jasmine Wahi @browngirlcurator.
To watch the full panel, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0kZ_z2yUic
Learn more about our “Dangerous Art / Endangered Artists” summit: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/exhibition/dangerous-art-endangered-artists-summit/
#indigenouspeoplesday
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