Fall of Freedom - Creative Protest Movement
600+ artistic events across 40+ states for artists to participate in creative resistance and speak out against cultural suppression.
Fall of Freedom is a nationwide creative protest movement organized by visual artist Dread Scott, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, and other cultural leaders. The initiative brings together more than 600 events of all sizes across more than 40 states, from Alaska to Florida, taking place on Friday and Saturday (November 21-22, 2025).
The movement emerged in response to recent threats to artistic freedom, including sweeping grant cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts, staff firings at the Kennedy Center, and executive orders requiring audits of Smithsonian museums. Many cultural institutions have become paralyzed by fear and are declining to program controversial or politically sensitive work, creating a gap in support for artists.
Fall of Freedom provides an open-ended framework for artists of all disciplines to use their creativity to speak to this moment of cultural and political crisis. The organizers emphasize the historical role of art in social movements, citing examples like Billie Holiday's 'Strange Fruit' during the Civil Rights Movement and Picasso's Guernica during resistance to fascism.
The core message is collective action: by standing together, artists can resist individual suppression and institutional fear. Rather than institutions making individual survival decisions, Fall of Freedom encourages coordinated artistic action and civic engagement to promote and protect freedom of expression.