Draft:Art for Human Rights

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Art for Human Rights is a not for profit organisation that works with artists across all disciplines to promote and advance universal human rights.

History

Founded in 2002 as Art for Amnesty, by Irish barrister and human rights activist Bill Shipsey. Initially established to support the work of Amnesty International, the organisation expanded its remit in 2022 and was renamed Art for Human Rights to reflect its expanding work with other human rights defending and advancing organisations worldwide. Art for Human Rights does not conduct research into human rights abuses. Instead, it collaborates with human rights NGOs and intergovernmental organisations, working alongside them to amplify their messages and to fundraise for them through artist-led projects. The organisation conceives, promotes and produces art projects which promote universal human rights.

Mission and Vision

The vision of Art for Human Rights is of a world where universal human rights are respected. Its mission is to engage artists of all disciplines to further that vision. The organisation's founding philosophy was articulated by Nobel Laureate in Literature Seamus Heaney at the inaugural Ambassador of Conscience Award ceremony in 2003, where he described the organisation's purpose in the following terms:

"We are here not so much for a cause as for a credo. Art for Amnesty, who sponsor this event, represents a disposition rather than a party line. And the disposition is this: we are disposed to believe that the work of artists helps to create our future. We believe that the effort of creative individuals can promote a new order of understanding in the common mind, an understanding that precedes and prepares for the establishment of new social conditions."

Art for Human Rights operates on the principle that artistic engagement can amplify human rights messages in ways that conventional advocacy cannot.

Key Projects

Music Initiatives

Instant Karma (2007): The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is a compilation album released in 2007 featuring cover versions of songs by John Lennon. The album was produced to support Amnesty International's efforts to raise awareness of the human rights crisis in Darfur, Sudan.

Proceeds from the album supported Amnesty International’s research and advocacy work related to the crisis. The album was part of the Make Some Noise project, a campaign that used music to promote human rights. It was co-produced by Amnesty International USA and Art for Human Rights (formerly known as Art for Amnesty), with Bill Shipsey serving as co-executive producer. To date it has raised over $7 million for Amnesty.

Small Places Tour (2008) was a global concert series marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR), featuring over 800 performances in 40 countries.

Electric Burma (2012), a concert held in honour of Aung San Suu Kyi, featuring performances by Bono, Damien Rice, and other artists.

Eleanor's Dream was a sold out concert by Damien Rice in Paris's Olympia Theatre promoted by Gerard Drouot on December 11th 2017.

Visual Arts and Memorials

Tapestries: Since 2012, fourteen large-scale, handwoven memorial tapestries have been created to honour figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Václav Havel, Seamus Heaney, Nelson Mandela, John Lennon, as well as the people of Colombia and Greece.

Eleven of the tapestries were designed by Czech-born, New York-based artist Peter Sís. The tapestry dedicated to Colombia, titled The Musicians, was designed by Fernando Botero. The Greek tribute, "I Love Greece", was created by Sophia Vari, while El Holocausto was based on a 1945 mural by Mexican painter Manuel Rodríguez Lozano.

All but one of the tapestries were woven at Ateliers Pinton in Aubusson, France, a world renowned tapestry atelier using the Aubusson basse lisse technique.

Azulejo Murals: In 2018, Art for Human Rights collaborated with Czech-born American illustrator and children's book author Peter Sís and Portuguese ceramics manufacturer Viúva Lamego to produce an azulejo mural based on an illustration from Sís’s book The Conference of the Birds.

The mural, entitled 'Simorg' was unveiled on 10 December 2018 in Lisbon to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the UDHR. Depicting thirty birds flying as one, the image symbolises the indivisibility of the thirty articles of the UDHR.

Two further Azulejo Murals have been created, designed by Ana Juan and Peter Sís respectively. They are awaiting installation in Paris and Prague.

Bronze Statuary: Since 2014, Art for Human Rights has commissioned a series of memorial busts honouring human rights leaders, Eleanor Roosevelt, Liu Xiaobo, Václav Havel and literary legends Oscar Wilde and Samuel Beckett placing them in prominent locations worldwide.

Human Rights Trail: In collaboration with Tatiana Pais Becher, former Mayor of Auronzo di Cadore, Art for Human Rights developed a 30-kilometre Human Rights Bike Trail in the Italian Dolomites, dedicated to the UDHR. Markers are placed every kilometre, each inscribed with a word corresponding to one of the thirty articles of the Declaration.

Havel's Place is an international public art project dedicated to Václav Havel, the playwright, dissident, and human rights advocate. Designed by architect Bořek Šípek, each installation features two chairs facing each other around a circular table, often with a tree growing through its center. The table bears Havel’s famous quote: “Truth and love shall prevail over lies and hatred.”

Created as a symbol of democratic dialogue and freedom of expression, Havel’s Place invites people to meet, converse, and engage with different perspectives. Following the first installation in Washington, D.C., the project expanded internationally with the support of human rights advocate Bill Shipsey. Today, Havel’s Places can be found in cities including Dublin, Barcelona, Venice, The Hague, Ljubljana, and Lisbon. Together, these installations form a global network of spaces that celebrate democracy, human rights, and the power of open dialogue.

Art Auctions / Sales: Art for Human Rights has organised major art auctions to raise funds for Amnesty International, 'In the Time of Shaking' a 2004 sale of contemporary art at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. These include a 2022, organised major art auction in connection with the auction held with Sotheby's France, to benefit Amnesty France and Switzerland.

A further major auction has been proposed for 2027 with Sotheby's France and Sotheby's America, to benefit Amnesty France, Italy, Switzerland and the Unites States of America.

Literary Collaborations

Anything Can Happen: Translation by Irish poet Seamus Heaney of an ode by Horace, written in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. The poem was published in the volume Anything Can Happen: A Poem and an Essay, which includes a foreword by Bill Shipsey and an essay by Seamus Heaney on the role of art in contemporary political contexts. The poem was translated into 23 languages in collaboration with then Art for Amnesty to support Amnesty International.

Windows on Elsewhere: 60 Refugees, 60 Views is an international art and storytelling project by artist, architect, and author Matteo Pericoli that gives voice to people who have been forced to flee their home countries. The project features 60 detailed drawings of the views from the windows of refugees now living in different parts of the world. Each drawing is accompanied by a short text written by the refugee, using the view outside their window as a starting point to reflect on their journey from "elsewhere" and their experience of displacement, memory, and belonging.

The project has been exhibited internationally in cities including Turin, Lugano, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Tullamore (Ireland), Padua, Castello di Ama, and Paris. It has also been published in book form in both Italian and Spanish.

At first glance, the drawings simply capture everyday landscapes framed by a window. However, when read alongside the accompanying narratives, they become powerful entry points into deeply personal stories of displacement, loss, hope, and resilience. Through memories of homes left behind, loved ones separated by conflict, and the challenges of rebuilding life in a new place, the project reveals the emotional complexity of the refugee experience. The window becomes both a literal frame and a symbolic threshold between past and present, absence and belonging.

The 60 participants, originating from more than 30 countries, share diverse experiences but are united by the reality of forced migration. Their stories illuminate what it means to leave behind one’s home, community, culture, and often family members, while navigating uncertainty and adapting to unfamiliar environments. By focusing on individual perspectives rather than statistics, the project humanises global displacement and encourages viewers to engage with refugees’ experiences on a personal level.

Originally launched at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in Turin, Italy, in 2021, the project includes a book, an exhibition, and a limited-edition box set containing the drawings and stories in Italian, English, French, and Spanish. Supported by the Lavazza Foundation.

It has also received wider recognition through media coverage, including a feature in The Washington Post in 2023.

Through the combination of visual art and first-person testimony, Windows on Elsewhere invites audiences to see beyond political debates and statistics, offering an intimate and empathetic understanding of displacement through the eyes—and windows—of those who have lived it.

Film and Multimedia

Freedom Flight: A drone theatre film produced to mark Amnesty International's 60th anniversary.

For Our Family Human (2024) A short film supported by the Smiley Movement released on 10 December 2024 to mark Human Rights Day. The film features a rhyming poem adaptation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights written by Dan Cadan. It was executive produced by Smiley Movement in collaboration with Bill Shipsey, Art for Human Rights, and W Communications, and is narrated by an ensemble of artists and activists.

Ambassador of Conscience Award

The Ambassador of Conscience was conceived and created by Bill Shipsey in 2003, the award ceremonies were organised, funded and presented by Art for Human Rights (then Art for Amnesty) from 2003 to 2015. The award drew inspiration from the last two lines of Seamus Heaney’s poem, “From The Republic of Conscience,” written for Amnesty International Ireland in 1985.

It aims to celebrate individuals and groups exemplifying leadership in the fight for human rights. Past recipients include Nelson Mandela, Malala Yousafzai , Harry Belafonte, Václav Havel, Joan Baez, Ai WeiWei, Peter Gabriel, U2 and most recently Greta Thunberg .

Leadership

Bill Shipsey remains the executive director of Art for Human Rights, guiding its vision and fostering partnerships that bridge art and activism.

External Links

• Art for Human Rights – official website