The Fifth 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 over 50 artists, will be on display through March 3. 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.

The festival includes the work of 2D, 3D, and live performance artists and animators and experimental filmmakers 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. 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 the environment, gun violence, domestic violence, racism, immigration and board detentions, and more. The festival features regional artists and artists from Alburquerque, Kentucky, and Missouri. International filmmakers from Colombia, Mexico, and Serbia 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 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, and in part by and in part by The Arts Partnership with support from the Cities of Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo.