Regional organizations
Organizations offering support to artists at risk nationally or regionally
Regional and local organizations supporting artistic freedom are the most important resource in the field. These organizations monitor violations on the ground and offer timely emergency, legal and other advocacy support to artists whose rights are under threat. A few have also begun to offer psychosocial support. For an up-to-date list of active regional organizations refer to the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) database of organizations that offer support to artists at risk. The list below only includes the most active groups in every category and is not comprehensive.
Organizations offering support to artists at risk nationally or regionally
Regional and local organizations supporting artistic freedom are the most important resource in the field. These organizations monitor violations on the ground and offer timely emergency, legal and other advocacy support to artists whose rights are under threat. A few have also begun to offer psychosocial support. For an up-to-date list of active regional organizations refer to the Artists at Risk Connection (ARC) database of organizations that offer support to artists at risk. The list below only includes the most active groups in every category and is not comprehensive.
Monitoring/advocacy
‘Article 19 Brazil and South America’ is a regional section of the organization Article 19 covering Brazil and South America. The section focuses especially on the at-risk side of freedom of expression. This work includes advocacy and reporting, verification work, and legal support for artists at risk.
Arts Equator is an organization based in Singapore that is focused on promoting regional art practice in Southeastern Asia by supporting arts criticism with a regional perspective.
Arts Equator began a pilot project in 2022 in partnerships with ‘Five Arts Center’ to gather reliable data on arts censorship. The project reported on violations, between 2010 and 2022, related to artistic expression in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The report and the database of the cases are available on the organization’s website. There were also reports on the individual states. The organization is trying to continue the monitoring service and/or expand the scope of the project to the rest of the 11 countries in Southeast Asia.
CADAL (Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina) is a private non-profit organization, based in Buenos Aires, working with human rights, mainly in Latin America. The organization has several projects which concern artists at risk, most notably ‘Defense of Freedom of Artistic Expression’ The organization’s work is broad and includes political advocacy, monitoring, analysis, investigation and temporary relocation.
Koalisi Seni (The Indonesian Arts Coalition) is an Indonesian non-profit umbrella organization focused on artistic freedom and strengthening the artistic sector in Indonesia. The work focuses on advocacy work as well as the training and knowledge building of its member organizations. The organization conducts studies on cultural policies and artistic freedom violations.
Nhimbe Trust is a Pan-African civil society organization based in Zimbabwe working within culture and development. They conduct research, monitoring, training and advocacy on human rights. Nhimbe runs a program which monitors violations of artistic freedom in Sub-Saharan Africa culminating in an annual report on the topic. The report analyses cases of both civil and institutional artistic freedom violations which, in turn, can be used in the organization’s advocacy.
The National Coalition Against Censorship is a USA-based coalition of 59 national non-profit organizations which have united under NCAC to monitor, report, advocate and promote freedoms threatened by censorship within the USA. NCAC protects artistic freedom through its dedicated Arts and Culture Advocacy Program.
The Pan-African Network for Artistic Freedom, based in Kenya, is a network organization which advocates for artistic freedom of expression. The organization’s work began in 2022 and includes research, monitoring, reporting and training. PANAF has produced research reports on the state of artistic freedom in the eight different national contexts of their members. This work provides local evidence-based research for international reporting, while also being an important foundation for local advocacy work.
For a comprehensive list of organizations providing support to artists at risk globally, go to:
Emergency support
Al Mawred Al Thaqafy, also known as Culture Resource, is a regional non-profit organization based in Lebanon which supports artistic creativity in the Arab region by supporting artists, cultural actors and cultural institutions. Through its program ‘Stand for Art’, and its emergency fund scheme, Mawred offers artists from Arab countries support in relocation, organizing legal advice and psychosocial support. They also connect artists with temporary artistic residencies.
Action 4 Hope, based in Lebanon, focuses on providing displaced or marginalized groups with the opportunity for artistic expression and development. The main focus of the organization is to provide a cultural arena for displaced or marginalized groups. They do, however, also offer some support to artists at risk.
Legal assistance
‘Article 19 Brazil and South America’ is a regional section of the organisation Article 19 covering Brazil and South America. The section focuses especially on the at-risk side of freedom of expression. This work includes advocacy and reporting, verification work, and legal support for artists at risk.
Ettijahat is a civil society cultural organization based in Lebanon working to promote independent culture across the Arab world. It promotes freedom of expression for all artists and cultural practitioners, and the safety of artists subjected to marginalisation. Ettijahat provides legal advice, direct assistance in averting danger, a safe haven for a six-month period and assistance in relocation. Through the project SANAD Ettijahat also provides legal and practical support for artists in exile. Particular areas of focus for SANAD are Syrian artists in exile living in Lebanon and Germany.
The Observatoire de la Liberté de Création (Observatory of Creative Freedom), headquartered in France, brings experts and professional associations in all artistic domains together in order to combat censorship. It was instrumental in the recognition, by French law, in 2016, that the freedom to create and distribute works of art is specific and cannot be reduced to freedom of speech in general. It gives legal and practical advice to artists and institutions threatened by, or victim of, censorship. It helps those who cannot afford to do so to file administrative or judicial appeals. It can act as a mediator between conflicting parties.
Psychosocial support
Al Mawred Al Thaqafy, also known as Culture Resource is a regional non-profit organization based in Lebanon which supports artistic creativity in the Arab region by assisting artists, cultural actors and cultural institutions. Through its program ‘Stand for Art’, and its emergency fund scheme, Al Mawred offers artists from Arab countries legal advice as well as relocation and psychosocial support. They also connect artists with temporary artistic residencies.
Front Line Defenders is an international human rights organization, based in Dublin, which protects human rights defenders at risk (HRDs). It offers wellbeing opportunities such as the ‘’Rest and Respite’’ program for human rights defenders dealing with extreme stress as a result of their work.
This list it to be updated as more information comes in.
Monitoring/advocacy
‘Article 19 Brazil and South America’ is a regional section of the organization Article 19 covering Brazil and South America. The section focuses especially on the at-risk side of freedom of expression. This work includes advocacy and reporting, verification work, and legal support for artists at risk.
Arts Equator is an organization based in Singapore that is focused on promoting regional art practice in Southeastern Asia by supporting arts criticism with a regional perspective.
Arts Equator began a pilot project in 2022 in partnerships with ‘Five Arts Center’ to gather reliable data on arts censorship. The project reported on violations, between 2010 and 2022, related to artistic expression in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The report and the database of the cases are available on the organization’s website. There were also reports on the individual states. The organization is trying to continue the monitoring service and/or expand the scope of the project to the rest of the 11 countries in Southeast Asia.
CADAL (Centro para la Apertura y el Desarrollo de America Latina) is a private non-profit organization, based in Buenos Aires, working with human rights, mainly in Latin America. The organization has several projects which concern artists at risk, most notably ‘Defense of Freedom of Artistic Expression’ The organization’s work is broad and includes political advocacy, monitoring, analysis, investigation and temporary relocation.
Koalisi Seni (The Indonesian Arts Coalition) is an Indonesian non-profit umbrella organization focused on artistic freedom and strengthening the artistic sector in Indonesia. The work focuses on advocacy work as well as the training and knowledge building of its member organizations. The organization conducts studies on cultural policies and artistic freedom violations.
Nhimbe Trust is a Pan-African civil society organization based in Zimbabwe working within culture and development. They conduct research, monitoring, training and advocacy on human rights. Nhimbe runs a program which monitors violations of artistic freedom in Sub-Saharan Africa culminating in an annual report on the topic. The report analyses cases of both civil and institutional artistic freedom violations which, in turn, can be used in the organization’s advocacy.
The National Coalition Against Censorship is a USA-based coalition of 59 national non-profit organizations which have united under NCAC to monitor, report, advocate and promote freedoms threatened by censorship within the USA. NCAC protects artistic freedom through its dedicated Arts and Culture Advocacy Program.
The Pan-African Network for Artistic Freedom, based in Kenya, is a network organization which advocates for artistic freedom of expression. The organization’s work began in 2022 and includes research, monitoring, reporting and training. PANAF has produced research reports on the state of artistic freedom in the eight different national contexts of their members. This work provides local evidence-based research for international reporting, while also being an important foundation for local advocacy work.
For a comprehensive list of organizations providing support to artists at risk globally, go to:
Emergency support
Al Mawred Al Thaqafy, also known as Culture Resource, is a regional non-profit organization based in Lebanon which supports artistic creativity in the Arab region by supporting artists, cultural actors and cultural institutions. Through its program ‘Stand for Art’, and its emergency fund scheme, Mawred offers artists from Arab countries support in relocation, organizing legal advice and psychosocial support. They also connect artists with temporary artistic residencies.
Action 4 Hope, based in Lebanon, focuses on providing displaced or marginalized groups with the opportunity for artistic expression and development. The main focus of the organization is to provide a cultural arena for displaced or marginalized groups. They do, however, also offer some support to artists at risk.
Legal assistance
‘Article 19 Brazil and South America’ is a regional section of the organisation Article 19 covering Brazil and South America. The section focuses especially on the at-risk side of freedom of expression. This work includes advocacy and reporting, verification work, and legal support for artists at risk.
Ettijahat is a civil society cultural organization based in Lebanon working to promote independent culture across the Arab world. It promotes freedom of expression for all artists and cultural practitioners, and the safety of artists subjected to marginalisation. Ettijahat provides legal advice, direct assistance in averting danger, a safe haven for a six-month period and assistance in relocation. Through the project SANAD Ettijahat also provides legal and practical support for artists in exile. Particular areas of focus for SANAD are Syrian artists in exile living in Lebanon and Germany.
The Observatoire de la Liberté de Création (Observatory of Creative Freedom), headquartered in France, brings experts and professional associations in all artistic domains together in order to combat censorship. It was instrumental in the recognition, by French law, in 2016, that the freedom to create and distribute works of art is specific and cannot be reduced to freedom of speech in general. It gives legal and practical advice to artists and institutions threatened by, or victim of, censorship. It helps those who cannot afford to do so to file administrative or judicial appeals. It can act as a mediator between conflicting parties.
Psychosocial support
Al Mawred Al Thaqafy, also known as Culture Resource is a regional non-profit organization based in Lebanon which supports artistic creativity in the Arab region by assisting artists, cultural actors and cultural institutions. Through its program ‘Stand for Art’, and its emergency fund scheme, Al Mawred offers artists from Arab countries legal advice as well as relocation and psychosocial support. They also connect artists with temporary artistic residencies.
Front Line Defenders is an international human rights organization, based in Dublin, which protects human rights defenders at risk (HRDs). It offers wellbeing opportunities such as the ‘’Rest and Respite’’ program for human rights defenders dealing with extreme stress as a result of their work.
This list it to be updated as more information comes in.
