Working with Freedom House Art puts an honourable practice not only in the 21st century, but also puts it into practice.
The print is connected to history of struggle and protest becuse it was the pre-digital form of interconnections. Its inherent multiplicity and cheap production form enabled the print widespread dissemination. The print was viral. Remove the paper, and the internet makes the image as viral as the woodcut print in the late middleages illustrating the feudal uprisings. Here, the artist took the peasant’s side against the church and nobility, because the print already sat on the margins of the underdog.

Freedom House Art is that Printer in the Sky of then and now, where the making of an image or a letterpress poster can be called up for a workshop through a web of socially engaged printbased artists. Freedom House Art offers prints, workshops, conferences and talks on freedom as well as educational creative material to institutions. There wil be shows and meetings between artists, scholars and students, but most of all, with people.

So the print walks out to the world- again. The print is not only my instrument for freedom- but now a tool for others to share.

Watch out- Amos might just come your way with some woodtype in hand!

The symposium ‘Art as a Tool for Freedom’ took place on the 20th of May at the Roosevelt Study Center in Middelburg.

It was a day of meetings- between professors in human rights law, history and social science and printmaking. The issue of Freedom made for the wheel, which around the talks spun. Besides freedom- the question was- what could art do for freedom - for human rights?

The previous day Amos Kennedy carried out a letter press workshop on the square as we asked people what freedom meant
to them. Amos had already printed cards with Freedom on it- and people could add their thoughts. In the end, it required direct action by Iris de Leeuw and myself: people were reluctant to write on the cards- and unsure what we actually wanted from them- money? Time? After some gentle coercion , they picked up their pens and really started talking.To me- this proved that we do need freedom from fear.

Freedom from fear of connecting and engaging in ideas with strangers.

John Phillips- from London Printmaking Studio- put on a instant street show with anarchist echoes- and sold the Freedom cards; No one bought freedom.

Next day- Amos concluded the symposium with a talk in the medieval herb garden. He showed posters made with American school children on freedom.
The children had courage- more that the adults on the square.

Freedom House Art is now becoming a reality- through the vision of Iris de Leeuw. This could be the place where the socially engaged print- regains its agency.

On the way back to London- in the train I thought of what wonderful days these had been - filled with meaning, curiosity and the light of good ideas. There, in the train, it was moment of silence when I could be still and inspired again.

Iris de Leeuw worked in the 1960’s and 70’s with print protest through poster art. Print was previously an easily disseminated and effective visual communication form, but has lost this edge to the web. However, one medium does not have to exclude the other, but can work together calling on combined core strengths to get the message through. Therefore, Iris has developed not only a web place site for protest and positive change through art, but has also masterminded the ‘Art as a Tool for Freedom’ symposium in Holland May 20 2010 at the Roosevelt Academy. Print based activist come together with social scientists to explore freedom.

Print- is still alive. It needs no electricity to happen, just great ideas combined with an ethos. Unplugged- the poster has the potential still to electrify.

Iris writes’ Bring peace into the world with your art.’
For more information go to: www.irisdeleeuw.com then : freedomhouse-art int in the lower right corner on the site.

Enjoy Iris’ print from 1967ish.