“There are few words left to adequately condemn in its totality the depravity of the Israeli government’s attacks and campaign of erasure against the Palestinian people, its art, culture, land, and memory.” — ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault.

On June 30, 2025, a series of Israeli strikes killed over 70 Palestinians, among them two artists, visual artist Amna Al-Salmi and filmmaker Ismail Abu Hatab. Amna and Ismail were among at least 30 killed in a strike on the Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City, one of the few remaining spaces in Gaza with stable electricity and internet access. It was a refuge and meeting place for artists, journalists, and activists.

ARC unequivocally condemns the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians by Israel, erasing artistic, cultural, and activist voices, and we call on the Israeli government to cease strikes and re-commit to a permanent ceasefire. Moreover, ARC implores the international community to ensure accountability and justice for Israel’s actions.

Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-condemns-israel-strikes-killing-dozens-including-two-artists/

@penamerica @peninternational ...

📢 ARC in The New York Times @nytimes 📰

Significant cuts by the current U.S. administration to the General Services Administration (GSA) have jeopardized the preservation of artistic and cultural heritage as a beleaguered workforce attempts to maintain and safeguard the 26,000+ works in the federal art collection.

ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault spoke with The New York Times for a written piece by Lydia DePillis, Graham Bowley, and Robin Pogrebin @rpogrebin that highlights how these staff cuts pose serious questions for the tracking, up-keep, and protecting of more than a century of American art in cultural institutions and federal buildings across the nation.

🔹 We`re grateful to journalists spotlighting these issues and amplifying our message.

Read the full article: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/arts/trump-cuts-leave-few-caretakers-for-a-massive-federal-art-collection.html

#artisticfreedom #artistsatrisk #freeexpression ...

🇵🇸 “Visual projects are a transfer of the lives of the audience and their stories by using art to transform destruction and devastation into love, hope, and life,” shared the multidisciplinary Palestinian artist Shareef Sarhan @shareef_sarhan with ARC.

In 2003, Shareef founded the collective Windows from Gaza, amplifying Palestinian voices when they were largely isolated from the rest of the world. Throughout Shareef’s decades-long career, he has centered his creative approach on preserving memories and communicating the experiences of the Palestinian people to global audiences.

Since October 7, 2023, over 7,000 pieces of Shareef’s artwork have been destroyed. Despite this, Shareef is rebuilding previous projects and creating new works. At the heart of all his artistic oeuvre is the faith that his works will be remembered for the hope they imbued and the memories they held.

Join ARC in celebrating Shareef’s artistry and activism, and read his full artist story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/shareef-sarhan/ ...

“This latest arrest of Toomaj Salehi, after previous arrests and even a commuted death sentence, is yet another chapter in a campaign of sustained harassment that the rapper is facing for his public comments.”

Amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli attacks on Iran, human rights groups have warned of a heightened crackdown on dissent by Tehran. Salehi has full-throatedly condemned Israel’s strikes on his country, while also decrying the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens in the face of the bombardment which began on June 13.

The Iranian rapper was first arrested in October 2022 after publicly supporting the mass protest movement, “Woman, Life, Freedom,” that emerged in response to the killing of Mahsa Amini.

ARC calls on the Iranian government to immediately disclose Salehi’s whereabouts, release him without delay, and end its campaign of intimidation against artists.

Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/arc-condemns-irans-targeting-of-dissident-rapper-salehi-amid-war/

#WomanLifeFreedom #FreeToomaj @penamerica @peninternational @pen_canada @toomajofficial ...

ARC strongly condemns the Israeli targeting of civilians in armed conflict, including the devastating loss of artists and cultural voices, among them was 22-year-old Iranian poet, reportedly killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran, Parnia Abbasi, whose lives and work are essential to the fabric of society.

“Parnia Abbasi was not only a gifted poet but a symbol of a generation daring to dream. Her death is a tragic reminder that in war, it is often the storytellers and truth-tellers who are among the first to fall.” Julie Trébault, Executive Director, Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) ...