A recent two-day event dubbed “Fall of Freedom” brought together thousands of creatives to discuss ways their work could form a collective bulwark against dark forces threatening our democracy.
With only months to prepare, organizers pulled off a nationwide wave of creative resistance against the Trump administration’s efforts to curtail freedom of expression and target those communities he clearly despises.
More than 600 exhibitions, play readings, book readings, performances, and public events happened in galleries and museums, comedy clubs, and people’s homes across the country.
Eric Gottesman, artist and co-founder of the organization For Freedoms, describes the movement as artists uniting against fear, noting that the Fall of Freedom event marks the beginning of a wave of cultural resistance.
I had the recent pleasure of speaking with Miguel Luciano, a co-creator of Fall of Freedom, on my podcast.
“[Fascism] is in its nascent stages in this country, and more and more people are realizing that and feeling that the arts have become a target. And we know that art matters,” Luciano told me.
He said that Fall of Freedom was created to help people think about how they can speak up, speak out, and protect the histories of all people, in any way possible, to keep their stories alive.
