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BIENNALE INTERNAZIONALE DELL'ARTE CONTEMPORANEA DI FIRENZE
Florence, Italy December 5th through December 9th 2007
The Florence Biennale is largest and most prestigious contemporary fine arts show in the world. This year’s event was attended by over 20,000 people with over 800 artists from over 76 nations displaying award-winning art, as well as Ambassadors from Cyprus, Japan, Turkey, Australia and Mexico. Artists for Human Rights was honored by the Biennale’s invitation which included an Artists for Human Rights exhibition featuring art works created on a human rights theme. The exhibit was so successful, artists from all over the world extemporaneously joined in creating a spectacular, beautiful mural for human rights.
The Biennale has a great tradition of supporting human rights. In 2001 The United Nations recognized the Florence Biennale as an official partner in its program Dialogue of Nations. Then Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan said, “Artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to the people, they speak for them. Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred.”
Artists for Human Rights’ founder, Anne Archer, gave a riveting address to all attendees inspiring artists from around the world on the subject of human rights. Anne presented to the Florence Biennale the Artists for Human Rights’ International Humanitarian Award which was graciously received by Pasquale Celona, President of the Biennale.
www.florencebiennale.org
Founder of Artists for Human Rights, Anne Archer, and Artist for Human Rights Director of Visual Arts, Pomm , co-hosted a grand opening reception of Artists for Human Rights/Visual Arts Human Rights art exhibition at the prestigious James Gray art gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California.
The exhibit which featured stunning art pieces, each with a human rights theme, ran for a week and was attended by thousands of people. At the standing-room-only grand opening of the exhibit, Anne Archer presented Artists for Human Rights Achievement Award to Mr. James Cavello. Mr. Cavello, the President of the prestigious Westwood Gallery in SoHo New York, has served as Governor on the Board of The National Arts Club and as the Director of the Museum of National Arts Foundation.
A famed curator, collector and consultant, Mr. Cavello has been a tireless advocate for children and their human rights producing art exhibits in worn-torn countries from Kosovo to Viet Nam to Afghanistan for the benefit of the Children’s Museum and the Kids Fund. Mr. Cavello is the President of the World-Wide Children’s Foundation.
On 2 October 2007, Artists for Human Rights hosted the 2007 Human Rights Hero Awards at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Center International in Hollywood, California. The event was attended by artists, human rights advocates and advocacy organizations, as well as by delegates from the UCLA Global Human Rights Summit.
The evening was hosted by actress, Marisol Nichols, and included inspiring performances by Grammy winning, Academy Award nominated recording artist and composer, Mark Isham, and award-winning singers Tony Harnell and Stacy Francis. Actor Michael Pena presented Human Rights Hero Award to Martha Montoya whose artistic work with one of the largest read children’s publication, Los Kitos, has reached across all boundaries of race, creed and nationalities with messages of peace, tolerance and human rights. Mary Shuttleworth, President of Youth for Human Rights International, presented Human Rights Hero Award to Sammy Abbey-Jacobs for his long-standing work with the United Nations and conflict resolution in Africa and his human rights education accomplishments as Programs Director for Sub Sahara Africa for Youth for Human Rights.
Actress, Pricilla Presley, presented the final Human Rights Hero Award to Mr. Jack Healey. Mr. Healey served as Executive Director of Amnesty International for twelve years and in this capacity produced the human rights tours for Sting, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. As founder of the Human Rights Action Center, Mr. Healey continues his transformational work on human rights and has led the international movement to bring human rights to Myanmar and effect the release of, Nobel Peace Laureate, Augn San Suu Kyi. Martha Montoya (www.LosKitos.com), Sammy Jacobs Abbey (www.youthforhumanrights.org), and Jack Healey (www.humanrightsactioncenter.org).
On 27 September 2007, Artists for Human Rights hosted at the new Landmark Theatre in Westwood, California a special Los Angeles screening of Roadside Attractions’ film Trade, starring Kevin Kline, directed by Marco Kreuzpainter and produced by Roland Emmerich and Rosiyln Heller. The film is a riveting and heart-touching portrayal of the travesties of human trafficking and the triumph of courage and the human spirit. The screening was attended by a jammed audience of hundreds of guests including the film’s cast members and producer.
Artists for Human Rights International President, Donna Isham, welcomed all guests with an impassioned address calling for greater awareness and action in combating human trafficking abuses, the need for human rights education and the role of artists in carrying this message.
The screening was followed by a panel discussion and an audience Q and A with human trafficking experts including: Dennis Caltron, Founder of the International Mission; Mary Shuttleworth, President of Youth for Human Rights International; Lieutenant Carlos Velez of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Metropolitan Task Force on Human Trafficking; Tommy Calvert of the American Anti-Slavery Group, and actor and director, Michael Corey Davis, director of Cargo: Innocence Lost and Svetlana’s Journey – two award-winning documentaries on human trafficking.
In March 2007, Anne Archer appears on CNN’s Celebrities and Their Causes – Anne discussed the artist’s responsibility to make a difference by promoting human rights and human rights education. The show aired public service announcements produced by Youth for Human Rights which chronicles each of the thirty human rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The show reached millions of viewers.