Fall of Freedom: Artists Protest Movement Against Fascism
Artists and cultural institutions organizing nationwide protests on November 21-22 to defend democratic rights and artistic freedom.
The Fall of Freedom is an urgent grassroots movement organized by prominent artists, writers, and cultural workers to unite the arts community against authoritarian forces. Founded by visual artists Robert Longo, Dread Scott, Jenny Polak, Accra Shepp, Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Lynn Nottage, novelist Hari Kunzu, and curator Laura Raicovich, the movement calls for museums, galleries, theaters, bookstores, libraries and other cultural institutions to sponsor protest events across the US on November 21 and 22. The initiative has attracted significant support from notable figures including Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan, John Legend, Jeffrey Wright, Ava DuVernay, and Laura Poitras. Major institutions like New York's Public Theater, Apollo Theater, National Black Theater, Arena Stage in Washington D.C., and Berkeley Rep have endorsed the movement. The organization's core message is that 'Artists are a threat to American fascism' and emphasizes the critical role of art in defending democracy. This movement emerges as a response to escalating attacks on cultural institutions, including threats to defund universities, eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, attacks on the Smithsonian Institution, and broader assaults on free expression. The Fall of Freedom represents a contemporary revival of historical artist resistance movements, coinciding with Jane Fonda's revival of the Committee for the First Amendment.