The International Human Rights Art Movement was founded by artist/activist Tom Block on the belief that art can open hearts and minds, and heal the wounds that are evident in our society. Through beauty, sincerity, and passion, we dissolve the boundaries between us. As artists, we engage in open-hearted creativity and discourse with politicians, social leaders, and others. The International Human Rights Art Movement, founded five years ago at Dixon Place in NYC’s Lower East Side, has exploded in growth, impact and creativity. In this short time, we have worked with more than 2000 creators from more than 100 countries, giving voice to performers, writers, videographers, artists and others as they struggle for human rights in their home communities. All have been united at the heart and soul of justice through our signature values of celebrating diversity; engagement with all members of society; sincerity and vulnerability of presentation, and beauty as a fundamental creative value. We began as a single-week, annual festival and now publish a literary magazine, books, have international and youth fellows, created an African Secretariat with three offices, and run other programming throughout the year. Given our growth in programming, reach, and social and political impact, the time has come to honor our creators by acknowledging that they are not only participating in an artistic program, they are part of an art-activist movement. Other past iterations include the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival (Silver Spring, MD, 2010) and the Iraq History Art Project (DePaul University, October 2010), also produced by Tom Block. Television Producer Norman Lear has been a major supporter of the project, through providing grants, advice and artistic connections. Tom is a New York-based artist and writer, best known for the development of his activist art model “Prophetic Activist Art.” He is joined on the production committee by Associate Producer Julia Levine, a theatre artist, writer and activist living in New York City.
