The report "Art Is Power: 20 Artists on How They Fight for Justice and Inspire Change" presents stories of artists around the world who have used their creative talents to uplift, sustain, and mobilize social and political movements globally.
One of the report's highlightings regarding the current situation is the lack of sufficient support from the institutions and communities for socially engaged artists, this lack of support occurs because socially engaged artists often go unnoticed by both the human rights world and the art world, with each group considering them the other’s responsibility. At-risk artists are routinely denied access to support because art organizations view them as activists first rather than “true” artists.
Artists at Risk Connection provides by the report the arguments that socially engaged artists are as talented and committed to their craft as other artists, and thus are deserving of support from the art world as well as that socially engaged artists are deserving of the same protections afforded to human rights defenders because they use creative expression to engage with and defend human rights issues, and create space for others to vindicate their own human rights. The report also includes recommendations for artists, state and multilateral organizations, human rights and civil society organizations, and art organizations. The report can be found and downloaded here.
Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) safeguards the fundamental right to artistic freedom of expression worldwide. Its mission is to ensure that artists and cultural workers can live and create without fear, regardless of their country or discipline.
