ARC organizes meetings and regional workshops with artists and cultural workers to learn more about their experiences and to provide capacity building and space for networking; engages in advocacy with governments, the U.N. and other intergovernmental institutions, as well as private sector companies and arts sector institutions; and convenes arts and culture sector summits to address the state of artistic freedom around the world.
2024 Meetings & Workshops
September 2024: "Why Peer Networks Matter" - Taipei, Taiwan
ARC and Mekong Cultural Hub (MCH) co-hosted a gathering of artists in Taipei, providing a platform for artists and other cultural practitioners to reflect on different motivations and unexpected benefits of building out their networks, with peers at home and more widely in Asia; discover organizations and opportunities that can help them expand their networks; hear stories from invited speakers about what it’s meant to them to draw on their networks in Asia, particularly in times of crisis and vulnerability; and exchange and connect with the other event participants from Taipei and beyond.
September 2024: "Strategy and Support for Artivism" - Pretoria, South Africa
ARC’s Africa Regional Representative, Sam Brakarsh, led a workshop on “Strategy and Support for Artivism” at the Global Artivism Conference in Pretoria, South Africa in September 2024. The workshop presented strategic challenges to the mechanisms that inhibit artivists as well as develop structures that amplify artivism communities.
June 2024: “Past, Present and Future: Art and Freedom of Creative Expression” - Taipei, Taiwan
ARC, in partnership with the National Human Rights Museum, Taiwan (NHRM) and the Federation for International Human Rights Museums – Asia Pacific (FIHRM-AP), organized a closed door in-person workshop titled “Past, Present and Future: Art and Freedom of Creative Expression” between June 18 and 19, 2024 at the Jing-Mei Memorial Park and Museum, Taipei. The 2-day workshop was attended by 11 participants from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Nepal alongside representatives from ARC, NHRM and FIHRM-AP.
April 2024: "Defending Creative Voices: Protection of Artists in Times of Emergencies" - New York, USA
Building on UNESCO’s report Defending Creative Voices: Artists in Emergencies, learning from the Safety of Journalists, and ARC’s publication, Art Is Power: 20 Artists on How They Fight for Justice and Inspire Change, this event raised awareness among UN Member States and civil society actors about the impact of emergency situations on writers and artists, and called for enhanced coordination and comprehensive efforts to defend artistic freedom during crises.
2023 Meetings & Workshops
December 2023: "Exploring Gender in Latin American Art: Coloniality, Power, and Feminine Expression” - Bogotá, Colombia
As a mechanism for connecting to more women and non-binary artists spanning the entire region and fortifying its partnerships with organizations in Colombia, ARC hosted a regional workshop on December 14 and 15 titled “Exploring Gender in Latin American Art: Coloniality, Power, and Feminine Expression” in Bogotá, Colombia. The workshop was a collaborative effort with Cartel Urbano, Fundación Karisma, and Fondo de Acción Urgente, and convened 20 women and non-binary artists from 10 countries: Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina, together with three additional participants from partner organizations.
Participants learned about and brainstormed social and collective initiatives for safe spaces for women artists, including allied organizations, networks, and collectives in each represented country. Through intense discussions, the workshop served as a catalyst for collective empowerment, collaboration, and transformative dialogue, contributing significantly to the ongoing efforts to address the unique challenges faced by women and non-binary artists in the Latin American artistic landscape.
May 2023: “Art and Territorial and Cultural Defense in Abya Yala” - Chiapas, Mexico
On May 29 and 30, 2023, ARC organized a regional workshop in Chiapas, Mexico in partnership with PEN Pluricultural Chiapas, and the Muy Gallery of San Cristóbal de Las Casas. Titled “Art and Territorial and Cultural Defense in Abya Yala,” the workshop brought together 13 distinguished indigenous artists from across Latin America, facilitating an intensive exploration of the unique challenges and risks faced by indigenous artists and their communities throughout Latin America.
Indigenous artists are often at the helm of activist movements, resisting the challenges their communities are facing from extractive projects, forced displacements, and the imposition of Western lifestyles. As a result, they are highly vulnerable to government repression, highlighting the need for collaborative connections between indigenous artists from different ethnicities in the region. An important outcome of the workshop is the acknowledgment that the challenges faced by indigenous groups across Latin America share commonalities, underscoring the need for a regional approach.
Throughout the event, indigenous artists shared their experiences and artworks, exploring profound themes such as identity, coloniality, and the defense of ancestral territories and cultures. This workshop evolved into an inspiring space for empowerment and unity, and the interaction generated ideas for new forms of amplification of indigenous voices in the realm of cultural and territorial defense.
