Note: I’ve been managing a constant stream of migraine waves since mid-September resulting in controlled silence on my end of various communications – including blogging! As many of you know, doing what needs to be done (work, teaching, just laying low, etc) during those times is challenging and often impossible.
Today I seem to be in a migraine lull hence a blog post to communicate something that I wish to share with you, my readers.
On the cusp of my birthday, which coincided with a No Kings Day event 🙂 , I stumbled on something that ignited my activist/creative self and catapulted it into a sense of possibility.
It’s a sort of ‘No Kings Day’ only for the Arts.
“Fall of Freedom is an urgent call to the arts community to unite in defiance of authoritarian forces sweeping the nation. Our Democracy is under attack. Threats to free expression are rising. Dissent is being criminalized. Institutions and media have been recast as mouthpieces of propaganda.
This Fall, we are activating a nationwide wave of creative resistance. Beginning November 21–22, 2025, galleries, museums, libraries, comedy clubs, theaters, and concert halls across the country will host exhibitions, performances, and public events that channel the urgency of this moment. Fall of Freedom is an open invitation to artists, creators, and communities to take part—and to celebrate the experiences, cultures, and identities that shape the fabric of our nation.
Art matters. Artists are a threat to American fascism.“
from the Fall of freedom website
As I delved deeper into this, I realized: this is a good fit for me. This is something I can do. This is something I want to do. Alone? Perhaps. And if necessary, yes, I’ll do my part as a soloist somehow, somewhere and in my own way. Even if it means just busking my “641” (see below) piece in a random outdoor space or playing it to some of my private students during their lesson. 😉
I’ll figure something out.
Meanwhile, I immediately came up with an idea for a project specific to the theme of Artistic Freedom/Activism. Simply put it’s a spoken word/music piece. I’ll take words from the 641 (word count) federally banned words and phrases list – current as of 10.1.25 – and create sentences, poems, catchy quips, use singular words, etc. which I will speak & intersperse amongst varying lengths of original music snippets.
I’ve begun choosing words and selecting/composing various musical snippets to play around with…it’s since morphed as project ideas do, but that’s my starting point.
This past Monday evening, I attended a ZOOM Fall of Freedom orientation meeting and I am encouraged. It feels good knowing I can speak up for Freedom of Expression/Speech/Etc. in this manner and in an organized event where it could perhaps make an impact.
Additionally, I reached out to a music teacher colleague of mine who is of like mind and excited to collaborate with me on this activist/creative venture in support of Freedom of Expression.
I’m not sure if I can find any local places (I live in a small, underserved* city in the South) that would be open to allowing this event, but I do have a modest list of places I’ll approach in the next few days. My collaborator buddy no doubt has a few of his own to check out where he lives. We may stumble on a group who is actually actively organizing an event and needs participants!
In any case:
I’ll – we’ll – figure something out.
Care to join us?
I’ll keep you posted as this venture evolves & unfolds!
*FYI: just one of the “641” among others used naturally within this blog post
Oh and Happy Belated Birthday!
Thanks, Tierney – and those pesky migraines have subsided for now. Thanks for the healing thoughts!
Sorry to read that you’ve been challenged with migraines. Sending thoughts of healing! Thanks for letting us know about the Fall of Freedom event. I didn’t know about that banned word list. I took a look at the link you shared and it is chilling.
Indeed.
I am not happy with the U.S.A. administration nor my provincial government who is not listening to most of us. lacking transparency and a threat to democracy.
Many of us share your ‘unhappiness’, Jane. Take care, my longtime Canadian blogger friend.
Happy belated birthday to you, Laura! I don’t think it matters so much as to when you celebrate, but it matters that you do celebrate!
I live in America but did not know about the banned word list. Unbelievable!
Words and music. Powerful!
Thanks, Laura! Yeah, celebration is important to one’s well being in life…thus saith the other Laura (or was I her Laura?!)
🙂
Do you know how many artists in heaven are smiling right now? Kandinsky, Picasso, Matisse, and many others fought the same fight with their art. They paved the way.
…and we – no matter how famous or unknown – do what we can to continue…
Thanks for that, Jennie. I seem to remember a post you wrote about teaching courage to your students via Franz Marc’s Blue Horse and indirectly making reference to the Kandinsky connection aka The Blue Rider Movement. Amazingly, it was removed posthumously as it made officials uneasy going from WWI into WWII and all the political stuff within Germany at the time – even though Franz Marc volunteered in WWI and was killed in active duty.
Yes, we do what we can to continue. Laura, your memory is spot on, although I did not write about The Blue Rider Movement (which was wonderful.) What a shame that politics had their hand in removing this. Did they not know that Marc was killed in action? Sigh!
I love this idea, Laura! Thank you for sharing the Fall of Freedom call to action for artists. I hadn’t heard of it and will try to spread the word. I’ll see if I can come up with something for a blog post. Your idea about the banned words and phrases sparked an idea I might try: Taking a list of the titles of banned books and making a poem of them or from them, like they do in erasure or black out poetry.
I’m so sorry to hear about your migraines. I used to suffer from them long ago. It’s horrible. A belated happy birthday to you!!! I thought of you on our common day made special by also being the date for the No King Day event. I wasn’t able to go to the event like I had in June because my son was coming with his girlfriend to celebrate my birthday with me. A sweet day. I hope yours was sweet too!
YaY! I hoped this ShoutOut would inspire other creatives to explore this as a possible means of expressive activism! Your idea is great – I know you’ll come up with something, Deborah. I thought of us, too, on our shared celebration also being shared with the No Kings Day event. I’m thrilled your son & girlfriend came and celebrated/honored you. Sweet moments to cherish, right?
Hope you have / had a good birthday. Sorry to hear about the migraines, I have them but quite mild, really, compared to one of my daughters who suffers from them.
A great idea of using banned words – who would have thought that there would be so many of them?! An initial thought was: if they try to control our language they can try to control our thoughts.
I read this article on art as protest: https://blog.artsper.com/en/a-closer-look/art-movements-en/protest-art/
I have the article in a tab on my ribbon on my desktop to read with a cup of coffee Monday Morning! As to thought control – think: 1984, George Orwell and Brave New World, Aldous Huxley a fiction examples too close for comfort in these times!
🙁
Unfortunately this strategy of banning words, books, music etc has played out numerous times in various epochs of history in various cultures/countries and societies…
I think you have come up with a winning idea Laura. I hope you can find somewhere to perform, and that you meet up with other like-minded people. Music is such a powerful way to get a message to others. And I hope that taking action like this will be an antidote to your debilitating migraines.
Thank you too for alerting me to this list of banned and unacceptable words. I remember being gobsmacked when I read your daughter’s report of what happened when USAid was slaughtered (I hope she is doing well) and I have had a similar response to this list. I hadn’t realised how deep and far-reaching censorship and suppression had become. Like Catherine in NZ, here in Australia we tend to get the headlines, not the details like this.
My first face-to-face meeting with my collaborator is this week (he was on vacay out of state) and I’m excited! Stay gobsmacked, Anne – it’s worse than what you have heard – than what you think. But there are pockets of us doing what we know we can do. I am not silent, just chosey on how to risk using my voice and in how I take action…strange times. Thank you so much for your support…I can feel it reach me across those many seas that separate our nations.
Happy birthday!! And I hope you’re feeling better soon!!
Thanks, LA! Part of my b-day was delayed/altered due to those circumstances…so I have birthday fun yet to enjoy! HA!
I salute you Laura. Strength to you and all your compatriots.
I also think you are very clever.
❤️ I know you get it, Mariss. 🙏
Laura, kudos to you! This is a brilliant idea! Arts have a big impact on culture, which is why Nazis in WWII burned books and art they didn’t like and banned jazz and movies!
Wish you much success in your endeavors. 💕🎶🎵🎶💕
You got that right, Cheryl…it’s chilling, the comparison, even if appropriate. 🙁 Thanks for the kudos, lady!
Kudos very well-deserved! Hope the migraines are gone! ❤️
Yep…doing better. (see reply to LA’s comment) Thanks for asking and your support as always – hugs
Interesting
We hear much and not so much about America but not from the people, more about your “@#leader%^&”
Arts never seems to be coming through rather the tariffs imposed on countries including mine, on the other side of the world
However those tariffs effect online artists who sell around the world. Puts pressure etc…
You’ve git this Laura, and hopefully your migraines cease…much love
Thank you for your support, Catherine, especially as from one ‘down under’…much needed in these awful, history repeating itself times. 🙁
That looks fabulous, Laura. Sometimes it’s hard to know exactly what to do beyond participate in the major protests, but whatever can be done to emphasize just exactly what we are facing as a country is important. And, wow, “underserved” is a very scary word, isn’t it?
~~~underserved~~~BooYa!
https://youtu.be/uWTz6z9POQ0?si=q6Q9p9dE-UrZys-e
Laura, what a creative idea! Please keep us posted! I love a creative expression of protest!
Will do, L.Marie!
First off, I’m really sorry to hear about your migraines. I know how debilitating they can be. I typically get 1-2 per year, which are often followed by a series of smaller headaches in the days afterward. I have to be in a cool, dark room and, hopefully, fall asleep. Nausea and sinus problems seem to accompany them.
I love the idea of using art as a form of protest to No Kings. Looking at the list of banned words makes me shake my head and angry. Who knew that equality was such a distressing concept?
Thanks for your commiseration on the migraines, Pete. I’m doing way better, now! As a word smith and educator, I’m sure the list of 641 brought you to a state of righteous indignation – a form of protest for sure!