Art is Power

Around the world, socially-engaged artists are being threatened, harassed and persecuted by authoritarian governments, which increasingly employ invasive and omnipresent surveillance technologies against them, according to a new report by PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection (ARC). The report issues a call to action for international organizations to extend the protections afforded to human rights defenders to artists on the frontlines of social movements and expand other safeguards for them.

The groundbreaking report, Art is Power: 20 Artists on How They Fight for Justice and Inspire Change, documents the ways artists are fighting against these menacing tactics and urges art and human rights organizations to activate effective policies and coordination to support them.