Events
New York, NY
ARC @ CEC ArtsLink
November 6-7, 2025
A two-day gathering focused on building collective support for artists in the US amid persecution, crisis and conflict.
New Orleans, LA
ARC @ National Performance Network 2025 Conference
As The Theater Offensive offered in its rules for fellowship in this era: “No blame. No hatred. Love. Unity. Liberation. Abundance.” With Giselle Byrd, The Theater Offensive; Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez, MACLA; and Julie Trébault, Artists at Risk Connection.
Barcelona - Spain
Cultural Rights Now | MONDIACULT 2025
1 October 2025
ARC will cohost the panel "Cultural Rights Now: Voices at Risk, Access in Action" as part of MONDIACULT 2025. The discussion is in collaboration with EBA — Europe Beyond Access, the Diputació de Barcelona, and the British Council.
Barcelona - Spain
Weaving Cultural Futures | MONDIACULT 2025
29 September 2025
ARC will cohost the side event "Weaving Cultural Futures: Artistic Freedom, Feminist Advocacy, and Local Governance in Action" as part of MONDIACULT 2025. The discussion is in collaboration with the Women X Culture Network, UCLG - United Cities and Local Governments, and the Institut de Cultura, Ajuntament de Barcelona.
Baltimore - USA
ARC @ 2025 National Museum Publishing Seminar
29 June - 1 July 2025
ARC will participate in the panel "Publishing Without Fear or Favor: Maintaining Trust with Authors, Artists, and Audiences" to reflect on how museums can remain spaces for healthy debate and learning.
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.
India
Leena Manimekalai
Sudan
Osman Obaid
Russia
Zhenya Berkovich
Nicaragua
Ludwing Gómez
China
Rahima Mahmut
Palestine
Shareef Sarhan
Videos
NYMM Music, Freedom, and Global Lessons to Confront National Challenges
Podcasts
“There are songs that I couldn`t sing at first because it hurt a lot to sing them. And after many years of singing them, I realized, this wound no longer hurts... I am no longer the same person who began to sing full of rage, full of hate. That possibility was given to me by the arts.” — Rebeca Lane (@rebecalane6)
Guatemalan musician and activist Rebeca Lane has spent the last decade using hip-hop to challenge patriarchy and empower women across Latin America. Drawing from her family’s experiences during Guatemala’s civil war, Lane transforms pain into healing through art — inspiring others to do the same.
🎥 Watch Lane’s powerful music video and feminist resistance song “Ni Una Menos,” an anthem against gender-based violence that has resonated across Latin America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbQ_
🎶 Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/rebeca-lane/
#RebecaLane #Guatemala #NiUnaMenos #ArtistSpotlight
Lane performs onstage in Berlin in 2018. Photo credit: Nika Kramer.
“There are songs that I couldn`t sing at first because it hurt a lot to sing them. And after many years of singing them, I realized, this wound no longer hurts... I am no longer the same person who began to sing full of rage, full of hate. That possibility was given to me by the arts.” — Rebeca Lane (@rebecalane6)
Guatemalan musician and activist Rebeca Lane has spent the last decade using hip-hop to challenge patriarchy and empower women across Latin America. Drawing from her family’s experiences during Guatemala’s civil war, Lane transforms pain into healing through art — inspiring others to do the same.
🎥 Watch Lane’s powerful music video and feminist resistance song “Ni Una Menos,” an anthem against gender-based violence that has resonated across Latin America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbQ_
🎶 Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/rebeca-lane/
#RebecaLane #Guatemala #NiUnaMenos #ArtistSpotlight
Lane performs onstage in Berlin in 2018. Photo credit: Nika Kramer.
“Our opposition thrives on chaos.” — Nikole Hannah-Jones
Across the U.S., artists, writers, and educators are confronting censorship and political pressure that`s reaching new heights.
At ARC’s “Dangerous Art / Endangered Artists” summit in May 2024, Nikole Hannah-Jones joined Aruna D’Souza to discuss how censorship operates across art, race, gender, and sexuality—and how each of us can resist this suppression with clarity and courage.
The insights shared during the summit are now more urgent than ever.
🎥 Watch their full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkoMPOoKxCk
@nikolehannahjones @invisible.flaneuse
“Our opposition thrives on chaos.” — Nikole Hannah-Jones
Across the U.S., artists, writers, and educators are confronting censorship and political pressure that`s reaching new heights.
At ARC’s “Dangerous Art / Endangered Artists” summit in May 2024, Nikole Hannah-Jones joined Aruna D’Souza to discuss how censorship operates across art, race, gender, and sexuality—and how each of us can resist this suppression with clarity and courage.
The insights shared during the summit are now more urgent than ever.
🎥 Watch their full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkoMPOoKxCk
@nikolehannahjones @invisible.flaneuse
🇰🇪 “Art is more than just a form of expression—it’s a tool to challenge societal norms, raise awareness, and inspire action.” - @javan_thepoet
From Kenya, to Madagascar, Nepal, and beyond, a new generation of young people is rising up—demanding justice, accountability, and change. Artists are at the heart of these movements, using creativity to amplify truth and inspire solidarity.
Today, ARC spotlights Javan the Poet, a socially-engaged musician from Nairobi, Kenya, whose art embodies this spirit. Through his lyrics, Javan speaks truth to power—denouncing human rights violations, police brutality, and inequality.
“Art can give a voice to the voiceless,” Javan shared with ARC. “The diversity of mediums allows us to reach a broader audience and impact people across different walks of life.”
His work reminds us that art doesn’t just reflect society—it can transform it.
🔗 Learn more about Javan’s story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/javan-the-poet/
#Kenya #ArtistsForJustice #GenZProtests
🇰🇪 “Art is more than just a form of expression—it’s a tool to challenge societal norms, raise awareness, and inspire action.” - @javan_thepoet
From Kenya, to Madagascar, Nepal, and beyond, a new generation of young people is rising up—demanding justice, accountability, and change. Artists are at the heart of these movements, using creativity to amplify truth and inspire solidarity.
Today, ARC spotlights Javan the Poet, a socially-engaged musician from Nairobi, Kenya, whose art embodies this spirit. Through his lyrics, Javan speaks truth to power—denouncing human rights violations, police brutality, and inequality.
“Art can give a voice to the voiceless,” Javan shared with ARC. “The diversity of mediums allows us to reach a broader audience and impact people across different walks of life.”
His work reminds us that art doesn’t just reflect society—it can transform it.
🔗 Learn more about Javan’s story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/javan-the-poet/
#Kenya #ArtistsForJustice #GenZProtests
ARC is excited to take part in the #CECArtsLink2025Assembly: Defending Each Other! — happening THIS WEEK, November 6–7, at La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre (NYC) and online.
Join ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault and Achiro P. Olwoch, Ugandan writer, filmmaker, and activist, for a powerful conversation on defending artists and advancing creative freedom.
We’re also honored that longtime ARC collaborator Mai Khoi, a Vietnamese musician and dissident artist, will take part in the Assembly—sharing her experiences and insights on artistic resistance and solidarity.
ARC will also host an Artist Safety Consultation, based on our adaptation of the Safety Guide for Artists to the U.S. context.
As threats to creative expression continue to rise globally, the Assembly—and the artists at its heart—remind us that defending one another is both an act of solidarity and survival.
🔗 Learn more: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-cec-artslink/
@achiro.p.olwoch @mai.khoi #DefendingEachOther #CECArtsLink #ArtisticFreedom
ARC is excited to take part in the #CECArtsLink2025Assembly: Defending Each Other! — happening THIS WEEK, November 6–7, at La MaMa Ellen Stewart Theatre (NYC) and online.
Join ARC Executive Director Julie Trébault and Achiro P. Olwoch, Ugandan writer, filmmaker, and activist, for a powerful conversation on defending artists and advancing creative freedom.
We’re also honored that longtime ARC collaborator Mai Khoi, a Vietnamese musician and dissident artist, will take part in the Assembly—sharing her experiences and insights on artistic resistance and solidarity.
ARC will also host an Artist Safety Consultation, based on our adaptation of the Safety Guide for Artists to the U.S. context.
As threats to creative expression continue to rise globally, the Assembly—and the artists at its heart—remind us that defending one another is both an act of solidarity and survival.
🔗 Learn more: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/event/arc-cec-artslink/
@achiro.p.olwoch @mai.khoi #DefendingEachOther #CECArtsLink #ArtisticFreedom
“To be alive for me is equivalent to being an artist. Art saved me. It is the only way to save us from everyday life and bring us back to the truth.” — Samaneh Atef
For Iranian artist and activist Samaneh Atef, art is both survival and resistance.
Growing up surrounded by social restrictions, she was told art was “not for women.” Yet she turned that denial into power—using her art to tell the stories of Iranian women fighting for their rights.
Now living in exile in France, Samaneh continues to create work that amplifies the courage and resilience of women in Iran.
👉 Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/samaneh-atef/
Credit: From the Women in Prison collection, 2022. Pen on paper. Image courtesy of the artist.
@samaneh_atef #Iran #ArtistSpotlight #WomenLifeFreedom
“To be alive for me is equivalent to being an artist. Art saved me. It is the only way to save us from everyday life and bring us back to the truth.” — Samaneh Atef
For Iranian artist and activist Samaneh Atef, art is both survival and resistance.
Growing up surrounded by social restrictions, she was told art was “not for women.” Yet she turned that denial into power—using her art to tell the stories of Iranian women fighting for their rights.
Now living in exile in France, Samaneh continues to create work that amplifies the courage and resilience of women in Iran.
👉 Read her story: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/artist-voice/samaneh-atef/
Credit: From the Women in Prison collection, 2022. Pen on paper. Image courtesy of the artist.
@samaneh_atef #Iran #ArtistSpotlight #WomenLifeFreedom
🛑🇺🇸“The decision to strip Wole Soyinka of his visa marks another troubling escalation in a pattern linking the mobility of international creative voices to their ideological compliance.”
ARC strongly condemns the U.S. government’s revocation of Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s visa–a deeply troubling act that undermines freedom of expression and international cultural exchange.
Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/revocation-of-nigerian-writer-wole-soyinkas-u-s-visa-is-a-violation-of-freedom-of-expression-and-cultural-exchange/
Image credit: Beowulf Sheehan, 2022
🛑🇺🇸“The decision to strip Wole Soyinka of his visa marks another troubling escalation in a pattern linking the mobility of international creative voices to their ideological compliance.”
ARC strongly condemns the U.S. government’s revocation of Nigerian Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka’s visa–a deeply troubling act that undermines freedom of expression and international cultural exchange.
Read our full statement: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/statement/revocation-of-nigerian-writer-wole-soyinkas-u-s-visa-is-a-violation-of-freedom-of-expression-and-cultural-exchange/
Image credit: Beowulf Sheehan, 2022
“I just keep running forward—I can’t afford therapy, so I just forbid myself from dwelling on the idea of returning home or feeling nostalgic.” — Mikhail Gulin, Belarusian conceptual artist, curator, actionist, and The Art of Resistance participant.
The Art of Resistance, an ARC digital exhibition, is a moving testament to the power of creative defiance in the face of authoritarianism. It brings together 13 visual artists from Russia and Belarus who have mobilized to oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to advocate for peace.
See Mikhail’s striking work and read his testimony: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/exhibition/mikhail-gulin-exhibition/
@michailgulin #ArtistsAgainstTheWar #artivism #TheArtofResistance
“I just keep running forward—I can’t afford therapy, so I just forbid myself from dwelling on the idea of returning home or feeling nostalgic.” — Mikhail Gulin, Belarusian conceptual artist, curator, actionist, and The Art of Resistance participant.
The Art of Resistance, an ARC digital exhibition, is a moving testament to the power of creative defiance in the face of authoritarianism. It brings together 13 visual artists from Russia and Belarus who have mobilized to oppose the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and to advocate for peace.
See Mikhail’s striking work and read his testimony: https://artistsatriskconnection.org/exhibition/mikhail-gulin-exhibition/
@michailgulin #ArtistsAgainstTheWar #artivism #TheArtofResistance
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