Introducing Our Fourth Cohort of Artist Changemakers

We are celebrating and honoring the deeply creative, political, and intersectional work of three LGBTQI+ artists for Pride Month 2022. At a time when LGBTQI+ people are facing increased prejudice and persecution, the Artist Changemaker Advisory Council nominated this cohort to highlight how queer people have always been a part of movements for justice around the world. 

​​Meet Merlina Anunnaki, a self-taught graphic artist from Bolivia whose work is a visual political manifesto for the autonomy of bodies and territories; Jono Lena is an interdisciplinary artist based in Salvador, Brazil, whose work sits at the crossroads of sound, imagery, word, and body; Shika/Shieko Reto works with pixel art and music, mostly reflecting the experiences of trans women in Malaysia. Check out all of their work and learn more about the artists here.

The Artist Changemaker Program is part of Global Fund for Women’s commitment to support and celebrate gender justice movements and all the ways that they enact change. We recognize that media, art, and culture are critical to advancing gender justice. The program supports eight artists annually with a one-time unrestricted financial award, with a focus on artists based in the Global South, women and gender-nonconforming artists, LGBTQI+ people, people of color and/or artists from a historically marginalized group. And we couldn’t do this work without you, our dedicated community that makes this all possible.

Meet Artist Changemakers across all cohorts here.