Ithaca City of Asylum
Providing refuge for persecuted writers and artists since 2001
Category: Uncategorized
How Ithaca became a “global hub” for refugees
A feature on the news site Documented describes Ithaca’s long history of sheltering and supporting refugees from around the world. The piece looks at the way citizens, organizations, government, and institutions in Ithaca have opened their doors to people fleeing violence or persecution in Myanmar, Afghanistan, Syria, and many other countries. Ithaca City of Asylum (ICOA) is among the featured groups.
Read MorePedro X. Molina wins prestigious award
ICOA’s seventh writer in residence and current Artist Protection Fund Fellow has received the 2021 Gabo Award for Excellence from Fundación Gabo, the foundation created by the late Gabriel García Márquez. The prize is one of the most prestigious for journalists in Latin America. Molina is the first cartoonist to win.
Read MoreShining the Light: Journalism in Times of Tyranny
Join us on Thursday, September 30, 2021, at 7 p.m. for an online discussion about the situation for journalists in Afghanistan, Belarus, Myanmar, and Nicaragua. Featuring three journalists who have received help from ICOA and a representative of PEN America. In recognition of Banned Books Week (September 26-October 2).
Read MoreWorkshop: Try Your Hand at Cartooning!
Join internationally acclaimed political cartoonist Pedro X. Molina on Tuesday, September 28, 6:30-8:30 p.m. for a workshop on expressing yourself visually by creating a cartoon. Drawing experience is helpful but not necessary.
Read MoreCensorship panel features Pedro Molina
Pedro X. Molina, an acclaimed political cartoonist and a leader in Nicaragua’s opposition-in-exile, will take part in an Amnesty International USA panel on censorship and press freedom on Tuesday, September 21, at 8 p.m. EDT. Pedro, who was ICOA’s seventh artist-in-residence, is now an Artist Protection Fund Fellow at Cornell.
Read MoreJohnson exhibit features exiled Burmese photographer
“Faces of Change: Portraits of Myanmar’s Democratic Awakening” features the work of Min Ma Naing, a visiting scholar at Cornell’s Southeast Asia Program. Ithaca City of Asylum has helped Min Ma since she arrived in Ithaca after fleeing Myanmar in June.
Read MoreJoin ICOA board members in Odyssey conversation
Ithaca City of Asylum board members Athena Kirk and Bethany Dixon will discuss survival, migration, and displacement in a “Virtual Community Conversation” on Wednesday, September 1, 5-6 p.m. The event is part of An Odyssey, a coproduction of the Hangar Theatre and The Cherry Arts directed by Samuel Buggeln. Dramaturg Aoise Stratford will moderate.
Read MoreSamarasinghe, Rumi, and ICOA featured in podcast
Former ICOA writers-in-residence Sonali Samarasinghe (2012-2014) and Raza Rumi (2015-2017) recently told their stories to the podcast Asian in Ithaca: Stories of Race, Culture & Identity. They also discussed the vital role that ICOA has played in their lives.
Read MorePedro Molina speaks to The World
ICOA’s most recent artist-in-residence spoke with the public radio news program The World on June 25 about the troubled state of journalism and democracy in Nicaragua. He also spoke about his own situation as a dissident in exile.
Read MoreFor Giving is Gorges, support creative expression without fear
Welcoming at-risk writers and artists from around the world takes a community-wide effort. On June 23, show your support for ICOA during Giving is Gorges, a special day of fundraising for local nonprofits.
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