In early August, a small group of artists and friends gathered in a Brooklyn studio with a shared question in mind: In the wake of the Trump administration’s tightening grip on the arts, what could and should be their role? Out of a series of weekly meetings and conversations emerged a new initiative uniting artists and cultural institutions across the country, in what is being called “Fall of Freedom” — a play on words meant to capture the precarity or possibility of the current moment, depending on one’s view.“We really just wanted to highlight the double meaning of the loss of freedom with the taking back of freedom,” said visual artist Jenny Polak, one of the project’s initiators, in a phone interview with Hyperallergic. Polak, whose work often addresses intersecting issues concerning immigrant detention and forced labor, helped shape the project’s founding vision.Beginning in late November, participants of all kinds — from comedians to independent bookstores to major music venues — are invited to take part in acts of “creative resistance” against what organizers describe as “authoritarian forces sweeping the nation.” The eventual goal is for anyone to encounter a Fall of Freedom event wherever they go in the United States, according to writer-curator and project initiator Laura Raicovich. “In my view, when we encounter a brilliant work of art, we become more open to seeing our world in different ways,” she told Hyperallergic. “[Art] opens our minds to actually envisioning the change that we want to make in the world.” Raicovich, formerly director of the Queens Museum and interim director of the Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, was the inaugural Tremaine Curatorial Fellow for Journalism at Hyperallergic. A poster graphic for the Fall of Freedom projectExamples of suggested creative actions listed on the project’s website range from public readings of banned books to organized drag story hours — events that President Trump has derided as “anti-American propaganda.” Participants are encouraged to register their event so it can be included in a national map for all to see and share.Other key initiators of the project include playwright Lynn Nottage, performance artist Cassils, and visual artist Dread Scott, whose 1988 installation “What is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?” ignited a national debate and resulted in a landmark Supreme Court ruling on protected speech. Among the participants are musician John Legend, filmmaker Ava DuVernay, and writer Jennifer Egan. A growing list of cultural institutions, including Dallas Contemporary and the Public Theater in New York, underscores the breadth of the network taking part.Over the past several months, the Trump administration has intensified its aggressive campaign against the arts, a pillar of democratic expression. The government has slashed funding for the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities and other vital grantmaking agencies, and targeted cultural leaders, and dismantled Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives. Artists have also reported growing instances of censorship and suppression of their work. A troubling bellwether came earlier this year, when Amy Sherald withdrew her exhibition at the Smithsonian Institution, citing concerns that her painting of a trans woman would be censored.“This feels like a low point in American history,” artist Miguel Luciano told Hyperallergic. “But rather than collapsing into fear, we want to bring people together by celebrating the power of our art, culture, and identity, and the freedom of our creative voices … This is when artists go to work.”