WCA National Pop-up Online Exhibition and Opening Reception on Zoom
Written and edited by Karin Luner
This November, the WCA Art Activism Pod launched Fall of Freedom | Freedom of Expression, a national, pop-up online exhibition built for immediacy, access, and collective voice as part of the Fall of Freedom grassroots movement of artists, writers, performers, and cultural workers defending artistic freedom and resisting authoritarianism through creative action. Events happened across the country, readings, performances, workshops, exhibitions, all asking: what is the role of art in defending democracy? What happens when artists refuse to be silenced? Fall of Freedom operates on a simple principle: Art matters. Artists are a threat to American fascism.
WCA’s exhibition runs through December 31, 2025, and due to an overwhelming response two gallery spaces are filled with amazing work, curated thematically by Laura Morrison, Program Chair and moderator of the Activism Pod.
On November 22, 2025, the WCA Art Activism Pod hosted the online opening reception for Fall of Freedom | Freedom of Expression. The online reception, recorded for broader viewership, showcased both featured works and insightful commentary from exhibiting artists and WCA leaders. Attendees were welcomed into a vibrant virtual space where the tensions of our moment were not only discussed but vividly expressed through a wide range of artistic media. Throughout the program, artists shared the personal and political motivations behind their work. Many referenced the current sociopolitical climate and the increasing challenges to democratic institutions and cultural freedoms. Their contributions, spanning painting, drawing, photography, digital, and mixed-media, underscore not only individual expression but collective resolve. The reception offered context for the artworks and emphasized how creative practice can serve as both reflection and intervention.
Watch the opening reception recording
The recording is available on YouTube and provides context for the exhibition’s purpose, the organizing ethos behind a rapid-response format, and the collective intent of the participating artists.
Download the Catalog (Gallery 1 and 2)
Artists Gallery One
Wendy Ackrell, Leslie Ann Aguillard, Lynn Aisawa, Elaine Alibrandi, Anoush Bargamian, Susan Bercu, Brenda Berkman, Lisa Bernstein, Anna Bowers, Maureen Burns-Bowie, Leslie Storrier Chavez, Vivian Wenhuey Chen, Belinda Chlouber, Christine Cianci, Annie Clavel, Jane Cohen, Jane Yuen Corich, Robyn Crosa, Sandra Davis, Debra Dobkin, Deborah Elkin, Melody Epperson, Kay Erickson, Jeanne Fields, Dwora Fried, Lucy Gans, Suvan Geer, Debbie Gibbs, Elizabeth Gorcey, C. Gordon, Lisa Grand Murphy, Kate Higley, Deborah Hirshfield, Pearl Hirshfield, Bonnie Iannotta, Laurel Izard, Alan Johnson, Cynthia Farrell Johnson, Jessica Johnson, Tama Takahashi, Tanya Kaiser, Jane Keddy, Quinn Keck, Betsy Kolt, Anu Kumar, Louie Laskowski, Karen Lecocq, Rachel Leibman, Roberta Levitow, Vicki Long, Magda Macias, Jane Maxfield, Lee Anne Miller, Lisa Michot, Donna Mohan, Andrea Monroe, Virginia Moore, Amy Morgenstern, Raji Musinipally, Barbara Nathanson, Carol Newborg, Celeste Novak, Mary Onifer, Marty Ornish, Jennifer Packard, Jessica Phrogus, Liz Plaster, Sabiyha Prince, Remedios Rapoport, Felicia L. Reed, Caren Helene Rudman, Adele Sanborn, Renee Sandell, Sondra Schwetman, Catherine Sherman, Vicky Smith, Gail Smuda, Bonnie Stolzmann, Andi Steele, Sandra Tamkin, John Terdich, Madison Toloui, Li Turner, Rhonda Urdang, Susana Vizcarra, Heather Weathers, Jennifer Weigel, Debra Wright, Marian Yap
Artists Gallery Two
Laura Abrams, Samuray Akarvardar, Lisa Almeida, T’ Alyne, Tandm Arts, Ponchitta Anderson, Marlene Alvarez, Gina Babby, Giliane Bader, Rosanne Beaurivage, Sheela Becton, Judith Bergquist, Deborah Best, Katy Bishop, Donna Bliss, Donna Geist Buch, Suzanne Buckland, Diane Burko, Sally Canzoneri, Anahit Cass, Ilna Colemere, Mary Cornog, Anna Marie Crovetti, Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja, Deborah Deal-Blackwell, Kristi Leigh G. DiSalle, Kim Dole, Michelle Echenique, Anne Emmons, Lisa Evens, Hadiya Finley, Marcela Florez, Jamie Frontiera, Suzanne Frazier, Lawna Gamble, Alana Garrigues, Helen Geglio, Lucy Hale, Ghía Haddad, Heidi Hardin, Jean Herman, Sue Ann Hum, Carol Myers Huskinson, Eva Kjellberg, Kendra Kett, Kim Klein-Hardt, Kim Laurel, Maya de Leon, Viviana Leija-Sysak, Nara Lesser, Rona Lesser, Karin Luner, Dawn Mattocks, Angela McElwain, Marla McLean, Leigh McLellan, Cindy Miller, Nancy Mills, Ann Mohler, Laura Morrison, Lynne Muth, Delia Mychajluk, Donna Oglesby, Debra O’Connell, Elaine Pratt, Brianna Pippens, Abby Spangel Perry, Rachel Tirosh, Rachel Tish, Dr. Vasu Tolia, Laurie Rousseau, Gail Richmond, Bonnie Richmond, Cindy Renteria, Bernadette Robertson, Piyaali B. Samanta, Angela Sanders, Ann Saunderson, Renu Saxena, Sarah Schneiderman, Angela Simmons, Kerrie Smith, Brittany Sondberg, Heather Stivison, Jami Taback, Dayna Talbot, Stella Arbeláez Tascón, Silvia Wagensberg, Gina Washington, Kami Watson, Katie Walls, Kate Weingart, France White, Tanya Wilkinson, Emily Wiseman, Teresa Wolf, Nanette Wylde
Detailed information on images
The banner image is a collage of artwork by (Top Row) Suvan Geer, Donna Oglesby, Pamela Pitt, Renu Saxena, Helen Geglio (Bottom Row) Li Turner, Rachel Tirosh, Mary Onifer, Elaine Alibrandi, and Laurel Izard.
Sabiyha Prince, America the Shooterful — Acrylic on paper, 34 × 28.5 in
Donna Oglesby, ICE Storm — Digital photomontage, 16 × 16 in
Leslie Ann Aguillard, Can’t Cut Out the Brain Worms — Drawing (colored pencil and markers on paper), 14 × 11 in
Elaine Alibrandi, Will They Use the Same Barbed Wire? — Photography, 24 × 26 in
Helen Geglio, Flood the Zone — Hand-stitched canvas, 43 × 35 in
Donna Geist Bruch, Liberation — Mixed media / assemblage painting on canvas, 54 × 54 in
Mary Onifer, Mothers’ Tears — Color photography, 20 × 16 in
Bernadette Robertson, White Only — Mixed media, 30 × 24 in
Dayna Talbot, Family Ties — Stitched photograph, 8 × 5.5 in
Cathy Greer, Why, America, Why? — Printmaking, 19 × 15 in
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