- Music
- 16 Oct 25
Amanda Palmer and John Legend among artists organising "nationwide wave of creative resistance" against Trump
Set for November 21 and 22, Fall of Freedom will involve various public performances and exhibitions across the US.
A collective of artists has announced a series of "creative resistance" events in opposition to US President Donald Trump and his administration.
The list of organisers includes musicians Amanda Palmer, John Legend and David Murray, as well as filmmaker Michael Moore, novelist Jennifer Egan, director Ava DuVernay and artist Robert Longo.
Artist Dread Scott and playwright Lynn Nottage are named among the initiators of the project.
The series, titled Fall of Freedom, was described by organisers as "an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation."
"This Fall, we are activating a nationwide wave of creative resistance," wrote organisers on the Fall of Freedom website.
"Fall of Freedom is an open invitation to artists, creators, and communities to take part—and to celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation. Art matters. Artists are a threat to American fascism."
Set for November 21 and 22, Fall of Freedom will involve various public performances and exhibitions "that channel the urgency of this moment."
These events will be hosted at "galleries, museums, libraries, comedy clubs, theaters and concert halls" across the US.
Fall of Freedom encouraged anyone to hold their own acts of "creative defiance" and offered resources and information on their website.
In an Instagram post about Fall of Freedom, Nottage said, "Together we will use our art, music, comedy, words, performing arts and energy to make a statement about freedom, solidarity, and the future we want to create."
View this post on Instagram
According to a report from the New York Times, Nottage recently chose not to stage one of her musicals at the Kennedy Centre after Trump's hostile takeover of historic venue's leadership and censorship of its programming.
"Unless you adhere to a certain kind of narrative, you are not going to receive support," Nottage told the New York Times.
"The action [of Fall of Freedom] is artistic expression. Expression is one of the essential ingredients in the American narrative, and it can’t be stymied or silenced."
Among the events confirmed so far is a new library of books focused on queer artists at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art in New York, as a protest against the Trump administration's policies of censorship and book bannings.
The announcement comes ahead of the wave of nationwide protests planned for this Saturday, October 18. The protests are part of the ongoing "No Kings" movement in opposition to Trump's overreach and frequent violations of the US Constitution.
Over 5 million people are estimated to have participated in No Kings protests in June. Millions more protests as part of the "50501" (50 protests in 50 states on one day) movement since Trump's inauguration.
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