(NEW YORK) – PEN America today celebrated the signing of Maryland’s Protecting Artists’ Creative Freedom (PACE) Act by Governor Wes Moore.
“PEN America applauds the Maryland legislature and Governor Wes Moore for addressing the unjust practice of equating an artists’ creative liberties or artistic persona as a confession of guilt. We stand in solidarity with those who create art and use their voice and talents to express themselves,” said Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director, U.S. Free Expression Programs. “The PACE Act successfully creates reasonable guardrails to focus on consistent criteria for admission of creative expression in judicial proceedings and is a model that should be adopted by other states and the federal government.”
PEN America is a proud partner of Free Our Art, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting First Amendment creative freedoms.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], 201-247-5057