Artists from the Global South converge in Salvador, Brazil, for three days of art, music, workshops, and cultural strategy. The Global Artivism Conference (Nov. 3–5, 2025) aligns creative resistance with climate action ahead of the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference. Details

Will you create or witness?

This is not a year to wait.

Every day the political air grows heavier. Intimidation, distraction and exhaustion are all designed to keep us quiet.

But artists, whether we paint, dance, write, sing or organize, know how to cut through the noise. We have talent. We have voices. And when we bring them into public view, they shift culture.

Four of our subscribers already are.

• One of you has just released a book on arts activism.
• Another is about to step on stage with a performance that refuses silence.
• Someone else is convening a global conference for “artivism.”
• Another is curating an exhibition on migration and displacement.

This is what resistance looks like. It is happening right here among our followers.
Now it is your turn.

As we descend into the shadows of end-stage capitalism, what comes next? Side Hustle Dance Project responds with Choices: History of the Hustle and What’s Next, a kinetic meditation on labor, legacy and liberation. Sep. 18–20, 2025, Salt Lake City, Utah. Tickets

Two Ways to Join In: Create or Witness

Not everyone can create arts resistance. But every act of arts activism deserves both creators and witnesses.

Make a commitment to act before the year ends.

Whether you’re creating something bold or showing up as a witness, your action matters. Click one of the purple buttons below to share what you’ll do, either a public act of artistic trouble or an experience you’ll attend in solidarity. If you’re open to it, I’d love to share your commitment with others.

How can art fuel housing justice? Squat The City! chronicles a radical network in Quebec that fused creativity with direct action for the unhoused. A vital new book by Norman Nawrocki. Explore the book

Create

Share with us your planned public act of artistic trouble, or pledge to make one before year’s end. You decide whether you want this public or private.

Migration shapes memory, identity, and imagination. Exodus & Resilience connects artists and displaced communities through collaborative cultural projects. Rediscover America’s story through contemporary art. Learn more

Witness

Tell us what you plan to attend (a play, dance, exhibition, concert, author event, or similar experience) that stands as an act of arts activism. You decide whether you want this public or private.

This Is the Year We Step Forward

Together these become our living record: artists refusing silence, audiences refusing to look away.

I will be putting myself on the line too. Something more physical than Abbetuck. Because this moment demands that we step out from behind the screen and into the public square.

This is not a year to wait and see. It is a year to act.

Will you?

Randall White
Abbetuck

P.S. Please share this post with other potential creators or witnesses. Thank you!