Bringing Art and Creativity to Public Spaces in War Zones and Beyond

In this fascinating EPIC mainstage session, Samantha Robison (USA), Founder of Awareness and Prevention through ART (AptART), together with Safen Muhammad (Kurdish Region of Iraq), share an incredible photo and video retrospective of their vital and inspiring projects dedicated to creating art and artistic experiences with marginalized, war and conflict-affected youth throughout the world.

Awareness and Prevention through ART (aptART), an organization of artists and activists often working in partnership with the United Nations and other non-governmental organizations, creates workshops, refugee camp art projects, and architectural murals that result in large-scale public art in war and conflict zones including Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique and across Europe. With their heightened focus on artfully rebuilding skateboard parks in affected areas with Make Life Skate Life, Samantha and Safen generously share their life-changing projects and compelling humanitarian experiences with our EPIC audience.

Watch this Session below.

The Entertainment & Performing Arts Industry Conference took place on January 10, 2022. It was for anyone working in, studying, or interested in the entertainment or performing arts industries. The event featured 50 sessions with 120+ industry leaders from numerous disciplines. EPIC was built around the discussion pillars of CREATE, PERFORM, DESIGN, & PRODUCE. Each Pillar featured a collection of industry leading directors, choreographers, performers, technicians, producers, designers, and more.

To see all other sessions of the EPIC Conferences, explore HERE

Samantha Robison

Samantha Robison is founder and executive director of Awareness and Prevention through Art (aptART), an organization of artists and activists dedicated to sharing artistic experiences with marginalized and conflict- affected youth throughout the world. AptART coordinates workshops for youth that result in large-scale public art. Samantha develops, organizes, and manages projects in partnership with the United Nations and government agencies as well as local and international non-governmental organizations. Samantha also works as the Director of Media & Development for community skatepark building organization, Make Life Skate Life. She organizes, documents and researches skatepark projects around the world. Her work has brought her to Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon,Tunisia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique and across Europe.  Samantha holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Studio Art from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, where she was awarded the alumni of the year in 2016. In 2017 Samantha received the Krider Prize for Creativity by the University & College Designers Association. In 2019, Samantha began a Masters of Fine Art program in Social Documentation at the University of California Santa Cruz.

Safen Muhammad

Safen O. Muhammad Manages and directs ART+, a non-governmental art and cultural organisation working towards building awareness and training youth and others on the arts, culture and environment. He has eight years of experience as an artist working with refugee and IDP children throughout the Kurdistan region, particularly in the city of Slemani. He has also worked and collaborated with local and international NGOs, such as the UN, AptART, CDO, Skateistan, Make life Skate Life, Un Ponte Per, Kurdistan Botanical Foundation, Commission Scolaire de montréal and international artists creating murals, canvases and street and refugee camp art projects. Additionally, Safen has ten years of experience working as an environmental activist and volunteer in Slemani assisting Iraqi environmental organisations such as Nature Iraq and Waterkeepers Iraq. Safen has helped the aforementioned groups complete workshops, educational campaigns and awareness murals and art projects. He recently completed a yearlong research project at Zheen Archival and Research Center funded by the Nahrein Network at University College London. Currently he is involved in designing and setting up a climate change awareness exhibition at the University of Sulaimani funded by the German Embassy in Baghdad, to work and train students about the effects of climate change and climate action. He also manages the first ever Skate-park in Iraq, opened in the city of Slemani in 2018. He oversees the training of a new generation of Kurdish and Iraqi youth on the fundamentals of skateboarding and sport therapy with youth with special needs. Previously he worked as a newspaper designer for Hawlati Newspaper published in the city of Slemani.

AptARTS