Amnesty International Firefly Project, Theaters Against War, Art Is Permitted Everywhere, and FELT present an out-of-the-ordinary conference on arts and activism in response to the incredible profusion of politically-engaged artistic projects, performances, and events that have been created in New York City in recent months.

ASF will focus on skills-building and the arts: artists and activists of all sorts will come together to teach and discuss innovative, creative methods for raising social and political consciousness and effecting change.

By providing a non-partisan forum in which artists and activists can share skills and strategies for raising social and political consciousness, ASF's organizers hope to reaffirm local commitment to arts activism, strengthen ties among members of New York City's artist-activist community, and address ongoing social justice concerns.

Attendies are invited to complete our questionnaire.

About the Sponsors

Amnesty International Firefly Project
Amnesty International Firefly Project is a NYC-based collective that produces public events, including workshops, gallery exhibitions, screenings, dialogues and discussions, conferences and festivals, and concerts. Firefly works to raise awareness of human rights issues and support the exchange of ideas, strategies, motives, and methods for creating art that is politically and socially engaged. We seek to create innovative programming for diverse audiences in the metropolitan area.

Amnesty International Firefly Project is affiliated with Amnesty International USA as local group #704 and as a pilot project for the Northeast Region.

Here's the AI Firefly team (and each person's role in making the conference happen):
Amiel Melnick - Coordinator
Andrea Lipps - Post-conference Publication
Elizabeth Barone - Volunteer Coordinator
Esy Casey - Graphic Designer, Panel/workshop/discussion Producer
Lara Weibgen - Image Acts Coordinator, Panel/workshop/discussion Producer
Matt Robinson - Post-conference Publication
Rosa Weinberg - Food + Signage Coordinator
Sarah Friedland - Film Festival Curator
Steffani Jemison - Coordinator

You can reach us at firefly@aifirefly.org

THAW
THAW is an international network of theater artists responding to the United States' ongoing "War on Terror", aggressive and unilateral foreign policies, and escalating attacks on civil liberties in the US and throughout the world. THAW has over 200 member theaters in the United States and abroad.

Art Is Permitted Everywhere
Art is Permitted Everywhere supports and sponsors activities which hail the commons and the common citizen, including poetry readings in park spaces, cheap public sculptures, flower gardens installed by neighbors, theatre in the square, and street festivals. Art is Permitted Everywhere believes that in order to facilitate the reclamation of community and the human spirit, we must stop censoring ourselves and must work to take back and reclaim our public commons through art.

FELT
FELT actively encourages a range of art forms as tools for social justice activists through original curatorial projects, collaborative programming in New York City, and international grantmaking initiatives.