The Westbeth Artist Safe Haven Residency Program in collaboration with Artistic Freedom Initiative is designed to house and nurture international artists who are persecuted on the basis of political affiliations, ethnic, locational, religious, and/or gender-based persecution.

Performances by the 2023 Westbeth Safe Haven Artists were funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

You can learn more about the featured artists and their Westbeth mentors in a special exhibit in Westbeth’s historic lobby located at 55 Bethune Street, NYC

Lama El Homaïssi
6:00 PM on Saturday, October 14
Joe’s Pub, 425 Lafayette Street
‟Not Harem Material”: A solo cabaret, presented as part of Artistic Freedom Initiative’s Beautiful Forms: Queer Art Unbound Festival
Photo by Bokeh Productions

Lama El Homaīssi event

Alejandro de la Guerra
6:30 PM on Friday, October 20
Westbeth Community Room, 55 Bethune Street
The Art as a social project, ‟Dark Sad Stories”: A series of TikToks on being an immigrant artist in New York City

Sahraa Karimi
6:00 PM on Sunday, November 5
‟Afghan Women Behind the Wheel”: Film screening followed by a Q&A
6:00 PM on Friday, November 17
‟Hava, Maryam, Ayesha”: Film screening followed by a Q&A
Westbeth Community Room, 55 Bethune Street

Fanoos Ensemble
7:30 PM on Friday, November 10
Mannes School of Music | The New School 55 West 13th Street
Ahmad Fanoos and his sons present a concert of new and traditional Afghan folk music

For more information about these and other Safe Haven Artists: Westbeth Safe Haven Program

For more information about Artistic Freedom Initiative: Artistic Freedom Initiative