B.L.A. hosts a daytime, virtual Public Dialogue with UNDOXX, a NYC-based collective that convenes artists, activists, and advocates to foster conversation, share resources, build collective power, and equip artists to navigate the evolving impacts of censorship.

In addition to UNDOXX organizers, the conversation will feature Minneapolis-based artist Leila Awadallah and representatives from across the country, including from Artists at Risk Connection and National Queer Theater.

Registered attendees will receive the Zoom link by email 24 hours in advance.

ABOUT THE PANELISTS

National Queer Theater harnesses the power of live performance to imagine a more just and joyful future. Working alongside social justice movements, we uplift queer community through visionary theater productions and education programs that celebrate free expression in the U.S. and around the world. www.nationalqueertheater.org

Censorship of artists in the U.S. is currently a powerful force, yet it is not unprecedented. UNDOXX is an artist of color collective that organizes festivals, conversations, and interventions to build power among BIPOC artists, global majority artists, queer and trans artists, and marginalized artists experiencing censorship. UNDOXX is committed to facilitating knowledge exchange among artists, activists, and advocates; generating community resources; and fostering creative exchange to support artists to keep making their work and dismantle censorship. Instagram: @_undoxx_ 

Patrick Bond leads the U.S. Programs for the Artists at Risk Connection, including the recent National Artist Safety Survey, and the development of new safety services that are being shaped by this initiative. He has built a career in social and cultural non-profits, focusing on cultural rights, equity, and democracy. At Open Society Foundations, he managed major grantmaking initiatives on the Narrative and Culture Change team and led the Soros Equality Fellowship, supporting leaders advancing racial justice and democratic renewal. At New York University, he developed approaches to qualitative research, digital security, and data-driven collaboration. Earlier, he worked with cultural institutions to create public programs engaging diverse communities in dialogue on history and justice. He holds a Master’s in Experimental Humanities and Social Engagement from New York University and a Bachelor’s in History and Russian & Eastern European Studies from the University of Virginia.

Leila Awadallah is a dancer, choreographer, and community collaborator in Minneapolis and sometimes Beirut. She is the Artistic Director of Body Watani Dance project alongside her sister Noelle Awadallah. Her artistry holds Palestine at the center —rooting her embodiment in practices of resisting settler colonial occupation while invoking / conjuring / demanding Right of Return and cultural INTIFADA. Leila has received multiple fellowships: DanceUSA, McKnight, Jerome Hill, and Daring Dances. Her artistry is meaningfully impacted by her years working with Ananya Dance Theatre, Theater of Women of the Camp (Lebanon) and El-Funoun (Palestine). She is a recurring artist-in-residence at the Arab American National Museum (MI), Red Eye Theater (MN), and holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Minnesota