Madonna Taps Katy Perry as Art for Freedom Guest Curator

By Sarah Weiss

Katy Perry is kicking off the New Year as a guest curator for the Art for Freedom initiative, an online public art project that incites artists to express their personal meaning of freedom through a medium of their choosing.

Perry will join Madonna to hand pick one artist in the month of January who creatively exhibits an original view of the fight for human rights. Madonna will then grant a $10,000 reward to the charity of the winning artist’s choosing. The program is ongoing, and Madonna has pledged to donate $10,000 to a non-profit of the winning artist’s choice each month.

“Art can change the world, but first it needs to be seen and heard‎,” said Madonna. “Katy Perry and I are asking you to be that voice and show us how you define freedom in 2014. This will be a year of monumental changes for human rights, and we want you to be a part of that change. Let us hear from you.”

To join the project, visit the website to upload your original poem, video, photo, or music or tag posts #artforfreedom. Every project must convey the values of Art for Freedom. Each day the website will showcase a work of art chosen from the public submissions.

“I am so fortunate to have the freedom to express myself through music,” said Katy Perry. “Now I’m calling all of my incredibly creative KatyCats to use their talent to show Madonna and me how they express their freedom. I believe that 2014 can be a year of great social change. Together we can all stand up for Human Rights. Join the conversation, and let your art be your voice.”

Art for Freedom was launched in September 2013 and has received more than 3,000 submissions from people around the world to date. It is a project driven by Madonna in partnership with VICE Media to promote free speech and address persecution throughout the world.

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