“Sitting for Peace” by Isaiah Johns. 36″ x 36″ Oil, acrylic, and sand.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (February 8, 2021) – The Fourth Annual North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival has opened at the UND Art Collection’s Gallery at the Empire Arts Center. The exhibition, which features the work of 50 artists, will be on display through March 4. Gallery hours are 2-7 pm Thursdays, 9 am -2 pm Saturdays, or by appointment. Masks and social distancing are required. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

An online Artist Reception will take place from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, February 18. Artists will be on hand to speak about their motivations and the inspirations behind their work. The event is free and open to the public and will be streamed via Zoom to Facebook. Audience members will be invited to interact and ask questions of the artists.

The festival includes the work of 50 2D, 3D, filmmakers and live performance artists from around the world. Each artist explores human rights, civil rights, or social justice issues through their respective mediums. In addition to paintings, mixed media works, and photographs, a series of experimental videos are also a part of the festival. A full list of the artists participating in the festival can be found in the festival’s online Exhibition Program. Certain works in the exhibition may be purchased via the exhibition’s online store. Purchases support the work of the artists.

The show’s themes include pandemic-related stories of isolation and creativity, domestic violence, racism, immigration and board detentions, and more. The festival features regional artists and artists from California, Kentucky, Missouri, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas. International filmmakers from Rome and Spain are also included.

The North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival’s mission is to educate, engage, and facilitate discussion around local and world-wide human rights topics. The festival was founded and is managed by The Human Family is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) based in North Dakota founded to change our communities through art.

The North Dakota Human Rights Arts Festival is supported in part by a grant from the North Dakota Council on the Arts
which receives funding from the state legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.

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