New York, NY— Don’t Delete Art (DDA)—a collaborative initiative uniting advocacy groups and artists in the defense of artistic freedom online—will lead A Day of Action on June 15, 2023, in New York City and on social media. The actions are an extension of the DDA Manifesto campaign, which urges social media companies to update their content moderation policies to integrate artistic perspectives.
Social media platforms are stifling artistic expression, negatively impacting artists who depend on them to exhibit and market their work. Despite their potential to improve access to the arts, the flawed moderation policies of these platforms frequently disregard artistic contexts, leading to the deletion of posts, locked accounts, and post and account suppression.
The day’s activities will be documented on Instagram at @dontdelete.art and include the following:
- New York City: Beginning at 11 a.m., DDA members will pass out stickers and Manifesto flyers outside major museums and educational institutions, calling on artists, curators, members of the general public, and leading cultural institutions to join the movement. Supporters are welcome to stop by to pick up campaign materials and sign the Manifesto.
- DDA members will end their route at the Meta Headquarters, where they will deliver a list of Manifesto signatories to date, along with Manifesto demands and documentation of circumstances in which Meta policies have failed artists. The entire action will be documented and shared on DDA’s Instagram live.
- Artists on social media platforms are invited to use the DDA Giphy digital sticker to “censor” posts of their artwork to heighten the visibility of self-censorship among artists, who often do this in order for their posts to be favored by platform algorithms. For more information about how to find and use the sticker, stay tuned to the Don’t Delete Art Instagram account @dontdeleteart, and visit their Day of Action page.
The DDA Manifesto campaign is building a movement in the arts community to demand social media companies reconsider content moderation policies to grant exceptions for artistic content, review alleged violations, and create better appeals and notification processes. The campaign has been endorsed by thousands of artists, curators, arts institutions, arts workers, and arts enthusiasts in over 89 countries.
Founded in 2020, Don’t Delete Art (www.dontdelete.art) is a collaborative initiative focused on protecting artistic expression across online platforms. Its online Gallery displays art that is suppressed by or removed from social media platforms; its Resources section helps artists navigate the intricacies of social media censorship policies; and its Blog and Newsletters provide analysis of new censorship trends and policy changes. DDA is a collaboration between the National Coalition Against Censorship’s Art & Culture Advocacy Program, PEN America’s Artists at Risk Connection, Freemuse, and artist-activists Savannah Spirit, Spencer Tunick, and Emma Shapiro.
Instagram: @dontdelete.art | Facebook: facebook.com/dontdeleteart
Further campaign details are available at www.dontdelete.art on Instagram @dontdelete.art.
About National Coalition Against Censorship’s Art & Culture Advocacy Program
The National Coalition Against Censorship’s Art & Culture Advocacy Program is the only national project dedicated to working directly with individual artists and curators involved in censorship disputes. Its main goal is to protect artists’ rights to participate in the democratic dialogue by defending public access to their work and supporting their ability to freely express views that might be unpopular or controversial.
Twitter: @ncacensorship | Facebook: facebook.com/ncacorg | Instagram: @ncacensorship
About Artists at Risk Connection
The Artists at Risk Connection expands on PEN America’s work by defending artists and safeguarding the right to artistic freedom of expression. Launched in 2017, ARC works at the intersection of art and society to address the needs of artists at risk and facilitate collaboration between the organizations that serve them, creating networks of advocacy and empowerment. ARC aims to safeguard the right to artistic freedom of expression around the world and works to ensure that artists of all disciplines everywhere can live and work without fear.
About Freemuse
Freemuse is an independent international organization advocating for and defending freedom of artistic expression. We believe that at the heart of violations of artistic freedom is the effort to silence opposing or less preferred views and values by those in power – politically, religiously or societally – mostly due to fear of their transformative effect. With this assumption, we can address root causes rather than just symptoms – if we hold violators accountable.
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