ایرانی آرٹسٹ سپورٹ پروجیکٹ
AFI’s Iranian Artist Support Project (AAPP) was an international holistic legal and resettlement initiative developed in response to the 2022 murder of Jina [Mahsa] Amini and the subsequent crackdown on individuals exposing the government’s human rights violations. In light of the decades-long historical persecution of voices of resistance in the cultural and human rights sectors by the authoritarian Iranian government, IASP emerged in the context of these exigent political circumstances as well as AFI’s extensive work supporting at-risk artists from Iran.
Through IASP, 53 at-risk Iranian artists, journalists, and dependent family members were provided with pro bono immigration representation, support with USCIS filing fees, relocation assistance, temporary housing, resettlement funds, employment and fellowship opportunities, and ongoing support post-relocation. AFI paired artists with live/work residency placements, fully funded studio spaces, and customized professional development plans. Partner organization Voices Unbound (VU) facilitated meetings between relocated individuals and media professionals, politicians, and activists, providing them with opportunities to share their stories, gain professional connections, and participate in advocacy. Together in this work, AFI and VU worked with organizations and individuals in New York, the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area, and California.
The impact of IASP:
- Through IASP, AFI and VU submitted: 62 Humanitarian Parole applications in the United States, 12 Asylum applications for 12 families, and 5 EB/O visa applications. To strengthen individual cases and ensure that those in immediate danger received priority attention, IASP leveraged VU’s experience and relationships within various governmental bodies such as USDOS to advocate for the expedited processing of visas and other legal statuses.
- From July 10-28, 2024, AFI and Voices Unbound partnered with the Sausalito Center for the Arts to curate and produce a photography exhibit by Iranian photojournalist Yalda Moaiery. The exhibition was supported by the National Endowment for the Arts as part of AFI’s Artists for Social Change program. It represented Yalda’s story and daring work as a female photojournalist capturing gendered repression and resistance throughout the historic 2022 protests. On July 13-14, there was a reception for the exhibit which included a panel discussion on artistic freedom in Iran. Following the exhibit, AFI supported the publication of a book of Yalda’s photography.
- In September of 2024, AFI released the advocacy report, “I Create; I Resist: Iranian Artists on the Frontline of Social Change.” The report was created in partnership with Voices Unbound as well as UC Berkeley School of Law and drew heavily from the findings of and direct services provided during IASP. It highlights 15 cases of artists that were prosecuted under vague and overbroad laws related to the dissemination of propaganda, the protection of national security, and the safeguarding of public morality. It also features the stories of several Iranian artists and creatives emphasizing the human impact of the Islamic Republic’s campaign to restrain expression through violence, censorship, and arbitrary punitive measures.
If you are an Iranian artist or cultural worker seeking legal or resettlement assistance, apply for AFI’s services here.
IASP launched in 2023 with generous funding from the Open Society Foundation.
