International Free Expression Project

On April 18, Peru enacted a controversial law expanding government control over civil society organizations, raising serious concerns from Amnesty International and human rights groups. Though framed as a transparency measure, the law opens the door to censorship, political retaliation, and the silencing of critical voices.

This law allows the government to arbitrarily monitor NGOs, penalize dissent, and restrict access to justice for victims of human rights abuses. When civil society is threatened, so is the ability to expose injustice and advocate for the vulnerable.

Protecting civic space and defending the right to free expression and association is more important than ever. A healthy democracy depends on it.

🔗 Visit Amnesty.org to read the full story.

This month’s Artist Spotlight shines on the incredible Jamie Earnest! 🎨

Raised in rural Alabama, Jamie is known for her paintings that explore the dualities of what is seen and unseen, playing with tensions of allusion and illusion. She draws on memories and idiosyncrasies from her Southern upbringing, employing symbols to reconstruct domestic spaces that explore modes of collective memory in the American South. While certain paintings depict intimate interior settings, others obscure the viewer’s perception. Earnest is interested in challenging the viewer’s position as an onlooker or subject in the scene. Lurking shadows and silhouettes of hands that enter the frame further complicate subjectivity, evoking a dissonance and uncanniness that is typical of the artist’s practice.

Back in 2016, before the Press Building was stripped of its presses, IFEP invited artists to step inside and create works inspired by the historic space. We were honored to have Jamie Earnest among that group of artists—and to witness the beautiful paintings she created in response.

Nearly a decade later, we continue to be inspired by her work and the way she captures memory, space, and Southern identity with such depth and vision.

Earnest completed her BFA at Carnegie Mellon University and currently resides in Pittsburgh, PA. Her exhibitions include the recent ‘Nearing Each Other’ at the Carnegie Museum of Art and the upcoming solo exhibition ‘A Brief Moment in the Sun’ at Penn State’s HUB-Robeson Galleries, on view from June 20–October 7, 2025.

Follow to stay updated on her work. 🌟