International Human Rights Art Festival Breaks New Ground in 2017 NYC

The premier International Human Rights Art Festival, New York City's first arts-advocacy festival of its kind, will be presented by The Institute of Prophetic Activist Art, co-sponsored and housed at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie St, NYC), will take place March 3-5, 2017. Television producer and Presidential Medal of the Arts Winner, Norman Lear, is Advising Producer, and joins a roster of United States Senators, Congressman and local politicians on the list of honorary co-sponsors of the event. Tickets are $10-25 and are now available online with full schedule and participant information at www.dixonplace.org.

The International Human Rights Art Festival will bring together more than 70 artists producing more than 40 events, all of them oriented toward advocacy. Artistic media will include theatre, performance, dance, spoken word, painting, photography, music, literary arts, workshops, panel discussions, a kidsfest (hands-on activities to introduce children to using art for socially-transformative purpose), film and others. Rigorously curated for quality as well as content, the event includes some of New York's most passionate rising artist-activists. It will raise social, cultural and political issues, as well as offering gentle, positive responses through thoughtful beauty and political and social thinking.

Bessie Award-winning Choreographer Joya Powell of Movement of the People Dance Company is amongst the talented artists who will be showcasing their work at the festival. Additional artists include: Playwright Mashuq Deen (New Dramatists Fellow 2022) who brings the story of his own transgender journey as a member of a traditional South Asian family; Playwright Catherine Filloux, winner of more than 40 awards for playwriting, activism and peace work, brings her latest piece to the Festival stage, on its way to a full run at La Mama, where she is Playwright in Residence; Musician Ari Gold, a Billboard Top 10 Recording Artist, Independent Music Award Winner, USA Songwriting Competition Grand Prize Winner, and a 3-time Outmusic "Visionary Award" recipient by the LGBT Academy of Recording Arts, presents his autobiographical look at his journey from Orthodox Jew to heterodox gay pop star; Oscar-nominated filmmaker Josh Fox best known for his 2010 documentary, Gasland will bring his latest film, How to Let Go; Award-winning, (Rauschenberg Foundation, Drama League, LMCC etc.) New York-based collective of artists and scientists, Superhero Clubhouse, working at the intersection of environmentalism and theater, introduces their latest endeavor, Pluto; five different dance companies are creating world premiere works, commissioned by the festival, incorporating human rights texts; Performance artist James Leonard has created a unique manner of raising awareness of climate change: climate change divination readings in a handmade tent, which will be installed at Dixon Place throughout the weekend; Muslim Women Speak panel will include Muslim women from around the world as they metaphorically unveil themselves, discussing what it means to be Muslim woman living in America; and finally the KidsFest with kids-run, hands-on activities introducing children to advocacy art on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. It will also include three art groups working especially with children and human rights. Further information on some of the participants is included below.

The Festival will use passionate, tough, unforgiving beauty to create social energy to catalyze collective action on social concerns, promote equality for racial, ethnic and religious groups, advocate for specific policy change in issues such as climate change, LGBT and disability laws, religious tolerance and other issues. Additionally, it will use workshops, discussions and other hands-on activities to inspire nearly 2000 audience members (including child participants in the "kidsfest") to learn how to use their own creative agency to advocate for positive policy changes and realize their power and capacity for greater civic engagement.

This is the first human rights art festival in the long and vibrant history of New York City's cultural scene. It is only the second professional, international human rights art festival in the United States--the other being the one produced by Tom Block in 2010, as the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival.

In addition to Mr. Lear, Honorary Co-Sponsors include Senator Bernie Sanders (VT), Senator Charles E. Schumer (NY), Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Senator Ben Cardin (MD), Senator Susan Collins (ME), Senator Chris Van Hollen (MD), Congressman and Civil Rights Hero John Lewis (GA), Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (NY), ), Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD), Chinese Human Rights Defender and Democracy Activist Wei JingSheng, NY State Assemblywoman Deborah Glick, , and New York City Councilman and Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer.

International Human Rights Art Festival takes place at Dixon Place (161A Chrystie St, NYC) from March 3-5, 2017.

Dixon Place is located at 161A Chrystie Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets), in Manhattan's Lower East Side (By subway: B/D to Grand, F to 2nd Ave, J/Z to Bowery, 6 to Spring St, M to Essex St).

Tickets are $10-25 and are now available online at www.dixonplace.org.

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