The arts + human rights in conversation

The Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) is deepening its exploration of the connections between the arts and human rights with this new online series. The series aims to advance critical conversations and collaborative research, and activities involving the arts and human rights.

The conversations will be guided discussions among advocates, academics and artists. Participation is by invitation only. The discussions will be recorded and made available to the public. If you are interested in participating in any of the conversations, please contact [email protected].

With conversations across the disciplines of human rights law and the arts, aided by arts making and performance, these consultations will explore the following themes:

Forging multidisciplinary alliances in the Plasticocene

This session will examine the problem of plastic pollution through a multidisciplinary lens, bringing together perspectives from artists, human rights advocates, ecologists, Western scientific approaches, and traditional knowledge holders.

Wednesday, FEBRUARY 4, 2026

12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. (EST)

Meeting in English on Zoom.

Affirming environmental human rights in the climate crisis

This session will explore—through the arts—the interconnected human rights and environmental dimensions of recent advisory opinions on the climate emergency issued by key international tribunals (ITLOS, ICJ, and IACHR).

Wednesday, MARCH 4, 2026
12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. (EST)
Meeting in English on Zoom.

Artists, artificial intelligence, and human rights

This session will investigate the positive and negative impacts of artificial intelligence on human creativity, and consider how emerging technologies are reshaping concepts of identity, community, place, and time.

Wednesday, APRIL 1, 2026
12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m. (EDT)
Meeting in English on Zoom.

REGISTER HERE