Social Justice and Advocacy Programs

Artist United is a social justice and advocacy organization. We believe it is a myth that artists are poor, starving, weak, and helpless. We believe artists can strengthen themselves and each other and achieve economic empowerment by working collectively to advocate for their rights and the rights of all people.

In 2018, our social-justice and advocacy work focuses on the issue of housing for artists. We are creating a shareable resource tool with information for artists facing homelessness in six regions of the country. We are also addressing artist housing needs in Oakland, CA, where we are headquartered, in the aftermath of the Ghost Ship fire of 2016, in which 36 people died, most of them artists.

Our plans for 2018 include convening arts and housing organizations in Oakland to foster greater coordination and amplification of our voices on this issue in our own backyard.