International Human Rights Art Movement

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Artists driving change for a better society. IHRAM amplifies those that give voice to the voiceless

The International Human Rights Art Movement was founded by artist/activist Tom Block on the belief that art can open hearts and minds, and heal the wounds that are evident in our society. Through beauty, sincerity, and passion, we dissolve the boundaries between us. As artists, we engage in open-hearted creativity and discourse with politicians, social leaders, and others. The International Human Rights Art Movement, founded five years ago at Dixon Place in NYC’s Lower East Side, has exploded in growth, impact and creativity. In this short time, we have worked with more than 2000 creators from more than 100 countries, giving voice to performers, writers, videographers, artists and others as they struggle for human rights in their home communities. All have been united at the heart and soul of justice through our signature values of celebrating diversity; engagement with all members of society; sincerity and vulnerability of presentation, and beauty as a fundamental creative value. We began as a single-week, annual festival and now publish a literary magazine, books, have international and youth fellows, created an African Secretariat with three offices, and run other programming throughout the year. Given our growth in programming, reach, and social and political impact, the time has come to honor our creators by acknowledging that they are not only participating in an artistic program, they are part of an art-activist movement. Other past iterations include the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival (Silver Spring, MD, 2010) and the Iraq History Art Project (DePaul University, October 2010), also produced by Tom Block. Television Producer Norman Lear has been a major supporter of the project, through providing grants, advice and artistic connections. Tom is a New York-based artist and writer, best known for the development of his activist art model “Prophetic Activist Art.” He is joined on the production committee by Associate Producer Julia Levine, a theatre artist, writer and activist living in New York City.

10/14/2026

Capoeira is more than dance. It carries a history of resistance.

Developed in Brazil among Afro-Brazilian communities, capoeira combines movement, music, martial arts, and cultural traditions shaped by the history of slavery.

In 1890, Brazil criminalized the practice. Yet generations of practitioners kept it alive, preserving a tradition that would later receive international recognition.

In 2014, UNESCO recognized the capoeira circle as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, acknowledging its role in cultural transmission, community life, and the memory of resistance.
Capoeira reminds us that protecting art also means protecting the people, histories, and identities behind it.

We believe these stories deserve to be heard.

What cultural tradition carries a powerful story of resistance in your country? Share it in the comments.

Sources: UNESCO and the Smithsonian Institution.

Ms Rachel at Songs for Littles ReFrame Dance Theatre Lady Gaga Human Rights Watch Human Rights Campaign

10/12/2026

Indigenous Peoples’ Day is more than a celebration of culture. It is a reminder of the histories, rights, and stories that deserve to be recognized and protected.

From traditional crafts to contemporary painting, poetry, and literature, Indigenous art preserves cultural knowledge, challenges stereotypes, and gives communities space to tell their own stories.

In 2007, the United Nations adopted the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, recognizing rights connected to cultural traditions, heritage, and artistic expression.

We recognize the role of art in bringing human rights issues into public conversation. Our 2024 publication, Heart, Hope and Land: Reclaiming Indigenous Voices, reflects the importance of creating space for Indigenous stories and perspectives.

What role do you think art plays in keeping a culture’s history and identity alive?

Share your thoughts in the comments.

ABC Indigenous Indigenous CBC Indigenous UN Human Rights Council Human Rights Campaign Human Rights Watch Art and Resistance Through Education (ARTE)

10/09/2026

What does it take to keep creating when your life is at risk?

Join IHRAM for Meet IHRAM Artists-at-Risk, an online event featuring voices and experiences that deserve to be heard.

Artists around the world face threats, censorship, and persecution because of what they create and the stories they choose to tell. This event is an opportunity to listen, learn, and better understand the realities they face.

📅 October 24, 2026 🕑 2 PM New York time 💻 Online | Free and open to everyone

The passion to keep on creating, when their life is threatened.

Register through the link in our bio and join the conversation.

10/08/2026

Art can express what words sometimes cannot.

For Marc Chagall, love was at the heart of artistic expression. Whether through painting, music, poetry, or performance, creativity can help us understand others, share experiences, and connect across differences.

How has a work of art made you feel understood? Tell us in the comments.

10/07/2026

Political art has existed long before the term “political art” became common.

From Goya documenting the brutality of war to Käthe Kollwitz portraying the lives of workers and families, and the Mexican muralists bringing political history into public spaces, artists have repeatedly used their work to document what was happening around them.

It has taken many forms: prints, murals, posters, photography, performance, poetry, and street art.
And one question keeps coming back:
Who gets to tell the story?

Art can preserve experiences that might otherwise be ignored, challenge official narratives, and put people and events in front of an audience that might never encounter them otherwise.

Swipe through for a short history of political art and some of the artists who helped shape it.

If you could put one untold story on a public wall for everyone to see, whose story would you choose?

10/06/2026

SUBMISSIONS ARE OPEN.

If you’ve been waiting for the right opportunity to share your work, here are two calls currently open through IHRAM.

IHRAM Press is accepting poetry, short stories, personal essays, and visual art for its current calls:

• Language, Censorship and Translation: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/ihram-submissions
• Indigenous Voices and Cultural Myths for Resistance: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/ihram-submissions

Selected literary pieces receive $50, and selected visual artworks receive $25.

Please note: submissions must be original, previously unpublished, and not AI-generated.

There is also an opportunity for African poets and spoken-word artists through the African Human Rights Spoken Word Contest 4.0: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/african-human-rights-spoken-word-contest-40

Submit a 1-minute video of yourself performing an original poem addressing a human-rights issue.

Deadline: October 31, 2026

Read the full requirements and submission instructions!

Which call are you submitting to? Tell us in the comments.

Sydney Writers' Festival Poema

10/04/2026

Based in Cairo, Egypt, contemporary oil painter and fine arts student Sara Donia uses her work to confront social taboos and ask difficult questions about equality, gender, and human rights.

Her multi-panel oil painting, Sawa’a (Equality), serves as a visual manifesto against societal double standards, gender-based violence, and honor killings in the Arab world. Through the human body, Sara explores a fundamental question: Why should our right to equality change as our bodies mature?

The lower panels depict embryonic biological development before biological s*x characteristics differentiate, connecting our shared beginnings to the idea that human rights should be universal, regardless of gender, race, or nationality.

When Sawa’a was exhibited, the work received strong criticism from some visitors because of its depiction of the chest and its direct engagement with taboo subjects. For Sara, that reaction also revealed why creating space for challenging, critical art remains so important.

✨ Through her practice, Sara invites us to look beyond social expectations and confront the systems that shape how we understand bodies, equality, and human dignity.

We’re proud to highlight artists like Sara who use art not only to express, but to question, challenge, and open conversations.

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10/02/2026

We owe you an apology.

Apparently, we keep doing things like giving artists a platform, supporting artists at risk, creating opportunities for writers and poets, connecting artists across countries, publishing books through IHRAM Press, and making space for conversations about human rights.

And somehow… we still have no plans to stop.

We’ll keep supporting artists.�We’ll keep sharing their stories.�We’ll keep creating opportunities.�We’ll keep bringing art and human rights into the same conversation.
If you want to help us keep “causing trouble”:

❤️ Donate: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/donate
🎨Join the IHRAM Membership: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/become-a-member
📚 Buy a book from IHRAM Press: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/store
📲 Share our work

10/01/2026

Can poetry help people understand human rights issues?

Carolyn W. Gatonye believes it can. In an interview with Wole Adedoyin for IHRAM, the Kenyan writer shares how she uses poetry to address injustice, amplify stories that are often overlooked, and create awareness about human rights.

Her poem, I Hope She Wears My Skin, explores s*xual violence against women in conflict zones and the ongoing struggle for justice.

For Carolyn, poetry is not just a form of creative expression. It is also a way to document experiences, challenge silence, and bring important conversations to new audiences.

What role do you think poetry and literature can play in human rights advocacy?

Read the full interview: https://humanrightsartmovement.org/african-secretariat/wole-adedoyin-interviews-carolyn-w-gatonye-poetry-holds-a-unique-power-to-create-awareness-about-human-rights-issues

09/30/2026

What happens when creating art puts your life at risk?

On October 24, IHRAM brings together artists-at-risk for an honest online conversation about their work, their experiences, and what it means to keep creating when speaking out can have consequences.

Come listen, learn, and ask questions directly to the artists.

October 24, 2026 · 2 PM / 14H NYC
FREE · ONLINE · OPEN TO EVERYONE

🎟️ Register through the link on BIO!

ArtistsForHumanRights

Address

New York, NY
10009

Website

https://linktr.ee/ihrartmovement

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