Art Works Projects

10/07/2026

At The Sharp Edge of Peace, Art Works Projects Interim Director Steve Bynum reflected on why visual advocacy matters in an era when it’s harder to trust that the images you see are real. At Art Works Projects, we remain committed to platforming authentic photos, art, and stories to inspire action and motivate support based upon individuals’ lived experiences.

Read the first AWP / FIELD reflection from Art Works Year 20 on our website.

10/03/2026

For Zulikha Akrami, a women’s rights & refugee advocate, the 2021 Taliban return to power marked a profound turning point. Her reflection connected two realities: some Afghans could leave while millions could not. Yet Afghans are not passive or without agency. Afghan women still resist, organize, teach, advocate, and sustain community life under extraordinary oppression. People and institutions elsewhere must strengthen—not replace—that work: to protect pathways to safety, support Afghan-led advocacy, preserve testimony, and refuse to normalize systematic exclusion.

Resettlement does not erase trauma, Akrami explains; then comes pressure to become self-sufficient in a new place, accompanied by a loss of career, home, and identity; the process is grief-filled. Read more on our website as part of our AWP / NOW collection.

10/02/2026

At The Sharp Edge of Peace, human rights lawyer, researcher, and women’s rights advocate Belquis Ahmadi spoke about the crushing reality Afghan women face under Taliban rule. In a world that has grown comfortable living and working alongside authoritarian governments, we have allowed universal principles to be reduced to preferences rather than obligations.

Ahmadi challenged the international community to center the experiences of Afghan women and focus on the stories of individuals living under systematic cruelty. While the Taliban remains committed to erasing women from public life entirely, hope is kept alive in women-run civil society organizations, inspiring us to act and support their resilience.

Thank you to those who joined our discussion panel at Rule of Law Institute, helping to amplify Afghan women’s voices and inspire action.

08/27/2026

Excited to be joining Chicago community members on Friday, September 11 for an in depth discussion of Afghan women’s rights, refugee law, and immigration. Join us to be part of the dialogue.

08/27/2026

CHICAGO - We look forward to joining you on Friday, September 11 for a thoughtful day of photography, film, and discussion at the Loyola University Chicago Law School Rule of Law Institute. We will be talking about Global Struggle and Local Action for Women's Rights in Afghanistan. Join experts and academics from Afghanistan and around the world to learn more about and understand how we can all be engaged in this unprecedented challenge to women, refugees, and immigrants. Details on our website along with RSVP information for this FREE event (including lunch!).

08/14/2026

The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan sees its 25th anniversary on 7 October 2026. The stakes remain urgent. For Afghan women and girls, the consequences are not distant or abstract, but present in the ongoing fight for education, safety, public voice, and basic human rights under Taliban rule.

In partnership with the Rule of Law Institute at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Art Works Projects presents an exhibit, film excerpt, and discussion event titled The Sharp Edge of Peace: Global Struggle and Local Action for Women’s Rights in Afghanistan.

This event features the Art Works Projects exhibit Women Between Peace and War: Afghanistan.

Centering the lived experiences and leadership of Afghan women, the afternoon begins with an excerpt from The Sharp Edge of Peace, a film by Roya Sadat documenting four women peace negotiators during the fragile and dangerous transition that preceded the Taliban’s 2021 return to power. A series of discussions will follow, featuring Afghan women’s rights leaders and advocates working alongside Afghan refugees. Topics and speakers to include:

Women, Peace, and Security in Contemporary Afghanistan
Moderator: Juliet Sorensen, Director, Rule of Law Institute, School of Law, Loyola University
Panelists: L.Belquis Ahmadi, Human Rights Lawyer; Naheed Sarabi, Development Specialist

Advocating for Asylum Seekers
Moderator: Steve Bynum, Interim Executive Director, Art Works Projects
Panelists: Jeff Cebula (NIJC), National Immigrant Justice Center; J. Sam Cole (former immigration judge, Chicago); L. Sherizaan Minwalla, Immigration & Human Rights Lawyer

Sanctuary & Sustenance in Chicago
Moderator: Dr. Jessica Darrow, Associate Instructional Professor, School of Social Work, University of Chicago
Panelists (in formation): Zulikha Akrami, Advocate for Women’s Rights & Refugee Communities

Additional support generously provided by the Roberta Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University.

08/14/2026

Excited to be partnering with so many Chicago leaders in our upcoming event: The Sharp Edge of Peace: Global Struggle & Local Action for Women's Rights.

Visit our website to learn more and reserve your space for this important (and FREE) community conversation about the rights of women and girls globally and at home, the realities of refugee law, and the rich mix of cultures that inform and enrich our lives wherever we live.

The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan sees its 25th anniversary on 7 October 2026. The stakes remain urgent. For Afghan women and girls, the consequences are not distant or abstract, but present in the ongoing fight for education, safety, public voice, and basic human rights under Taliban rule. In p

07/02/2026

If you’re in Arles for the photo festival next week please come and introduce yourself to AWP’s Leslie Thomas. She’s honored to be leading a workshop on photography and human rights advocacy with The VII Foundation and would love to learn about your projects.

06/30/2026

We are truly proud to be part of the VII Arles week programming.

Photojournalism as Advocacy with Leslie Thomas.⁠
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Want to do more with your photography? Join us on Tuesday, July 7 at 15:00 CEST at The VII Foundation’s campus for an intense small group workshop led by Leslie Thomas, documentary filmmaker, curator and human rights activist. ⁠
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After a short presentation on leveraging photojournalism to make an impact on shaping policy on social justice issues, Leslie will work with you as part of a small group to help you design a unique impact and advocacy campaign on the issues that matter to you. Everyone is welcome to attend; apply by June 26 if you'd like to have your work reviewed. ⁠
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https://theviifoundation.org/engage/arles-program-2026/workshop-photojournalism-advocacy-leslie-thomas/
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You can find out more about this and all the other events we are hosting on our website! Hamburger menu top right > Engage > Arles Program 2026⁠
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📅 July 7 at 15:00 CEST ⁠
📍 The VII Foundation, Arles ⁠
🎟️ Free attendance ⁠
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📷 A projection of DARFUR/DARFUR images in New-York, 2007. © Ron Haviv. ⁠
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06/01/2026

Here at the Oslo Freedom Forum an endless inspiration of art and protest - this exhibition makes each one of us a participant in ending tyranny.