As Threats to Artistic Freedom Grow, ARC Launches New Tool to Strengthen Artist Safety and Preparedness
United States
Informed by ARC’s National Artist Safety Survey of Over 1,500 Artists and Cultural Workers, Preparedness Is an Art Form Offers Free, Personalized Resources to Help Artists Mitigate Risks, Strengthen Preparedness, and Protect Their Creative Practice.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12 November 2026
(New York | Paris) — With 87% of respondents to a recent national survey reporting increased threats to artistic freedom in the last year and only 7% feeling very prepared to respond, ARC – Artists at Risk Connection today launches Preparedness is an Art Form, a free, confidential risk assessment and preparedness tool that artists and cultural workers across the United States can complete in as little as 10 minutes. This innovative, dynamic self-assessment brings established risk and security planning practices long used by journalists and other defenders of democratic freedoms to the arts and cultural sector. The web-based tool allows U.S. based respondents to identify potential risks, assess their preparedness, and access practical resources to protect themselves and their creative work.
From censorship and political interference to online harassment, funding instability, and institutional pressure, artists across the United States experience increasingly complex and systemic threats to their artistic freedom. Artists report quietly altering their work, withdrawing from projects, or avoiding certain subjects altogether–not because they have been formally censored, but because the pressures they face are already shaping what they feel free to create. 4 in 10 artists reported changing or canceling a project in 2025 because of the political climate.
To better understand these challenges, ARC conducted its National Artist Safety Survey between October 2025 and January 2026, gathering responses from more than 1,500 artists and cultural workers across the country. One of the largest surveys of its kind examining artist safety and artistic freedom in the United States, the research provides the evidence base for the tool’s development, grounding its approach in the risks and preparedness gaps identified by artists themselves. The findings reveal deep and widespread threats to artistic freedom and significant gaps in preparedness. Among respondents, 76% expressed a negative outlook on artistic freedom, while 32% reported feeling not at all prepared to respond to threats to their artistic freedom.
“Artists should not have to wait until they are facing a crisis to think about their safety,” said Julie Trébault, Executive Director of ARC – Artists at Risk Connection. “Our National Artist Safety Survey revealed a troubling disconnect between the pressures artists are experiencing and their ability to prepare for them. Preparedness is an Art Form is our response: a practical tool that puts knowledge and resources directly into artists’ hands. Protecting artistic freedom means more than responding to threats once they emerge. It means equipping artists with the knowledge, tools, and resources to anticipate and navigate risks, safeguard their creative independence, and continue making art without fear.”
“The risks artists face rarely exist in isolation. Financial insecurity, online harassment, institutional pressure, and personal safety concerns can reinforce one another,” said Patrick Bond, ARC’s U.S. Programs Officer. “We designed this tool to help artists understand those connections, recognize the protections they already have, and identify practical steps they can take to strengthen their preparedness. By adapting established security and risk assessment practices to the specific realities of artistic work, we are making approaches to preparedness more accessible to a sector that has historically lacked these kinds of tools.”
“Sometimes, the hardest part of dealing with a risk is recognizing that it exists in the first place. A tool like this can uncover risks we didn’t even know we were facing, and help us articulate concerns we might not know how to express.”
— Emma Shapiro, Visual Artist, Activist, and Writer
Rather than waiting until a crisis occurs, Preparedness is an Art Form encourages artists to identify potential risks and strengthen their preparedness before threats escalate. Through a confidential, self-paced assessment covering seven interconnected areas of risk–psychosocial, digital, political and institutional, economic, legal, physical, and environmental–artists can evaluate their circumstances and existing safeguards. The dynamic assessment responds to users’ individual circumstances, helping them identify the risks most relevant to their practice and the areas where additional preparation may be needed. Upon completion, users receive a personalized Preparedness Report highlighting areas for improvement and practical next steps, alongside access to ARC’s searchable Resource Hub, which connects them with existing, field-specific resources and organizations best positioned to support their individual safety needs.
Preparedness is an Art Form is the first public-facing step in ARC’s broader U.S. Artist Preparedness Framework, a long-term initiative to move artist protection beyond isolated responses to individual crises and toward a more coordinated, proactive approach to safety and artistic freedom.
Building on the tool and its Resource Hub, ARC aims to work with its coalition partners across the arts and cultural sectors to develop more coordinated support systems, including referral pathways, institutional training, and individualized safety planning services. ARC invites artists, cultural organizations, and partners to join this effort, strengthen connections across the field, and advance collective approaches to artist safety and artistic freedom. The goal is to build a more connected ecosystem of support that better equips artists to navigate risks and ensures that responsibility for protecting artistic freedom is shared across the cultural sector.
Preparedness is an Art Form is now available free of charge to artists and cultural workers based in the United States at prepare.artistsatriskconnection.org. Artists are encouraged to take the assessment, receive their personalized Preparedness Report, and explore resources to strengthen their safety and preparedness. Cultural organizations are invited to share the tool with the artists and communities they serve.
About ARC
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection is an independent international organization dedicated to defending artistic freedom and supporting artists and cultural workers at risk. Through protection resources, advocacy, research, and a global network of partners, ARC works to help artists navigate threats to their safety and creative expression and strengthen the systems that protect artistic freedom. Since its founding, ARC has supported more than 2,300 artists from 85 countries and established a network of more than 800 partners worldwide.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Elias Ephron
ARC – Artists at Risk Connection
eephron@artistsatriskconnection.org