Fall of Freedom - Nationwide Artists Protest
Creative resistance movement with 600+ events across 40+ states. Artists participate in performances, exhibitions, and cultural actions.
Fall of Freedom is a nationwide creative protest and artistic action taking place on Friday and Saturday, organized by visual artist Dread Scott, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, and other prominent artists including John Legend, Ava DuVernay, Bill T. Jones, and Ann Patchett. The initiative represents artistic resistance to authoritarianism and responds to recent cultural suppression, including sweeping grant cuts at the National Endowment for the Arts, staff firings at the Kennedy Center, and executive orders targeting Smithsonian museums. More than 600 events of varying sizes have been announced across more than 40 states, from Alaska to Florida. The movement emerged in response to large cultural institutions becoming paralyzed by fear of government retribution, leading to canceled exhibitions and withdrawn programming. Fall of Freedom provides an open-ended framework allowing artists to use their creativity to speak to the current political moment. Events range from zine-making workshops in Homer, Alaska, to performances of Les Misérables in Portland, Maine, dance parties in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and roundtable discussions on civil disobedience. The organizers emphasize that art has historically been a catalyst in social movements and political protests. By standing together collectively, artists can resist individual suppression and continue creating meaningful work. The initiative is designed to be rapidly responsive to the current moment, acknowledging that traditional cultural programming timelines are too slow for urgent artistic action needed now.