BOWLING GREEN, KY – Art is a powerful voice for social change.
 
​Recognizing that, FFOYA House, a nonprofit community arts organization in downtown Bowling Green, is hosting an art and poetry show in celebration of dissent on Friday, Dec. 2 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. during the BG Gallery Hop.
 
As the nation reels in the aftermath of a contentious and historic election season, local visual artists and poetry/prose writers gather to share work that is anti-hate, yearns for peace, mocks authority and hungers for revolution.
 
“Many artists used the art call for this event to channel their emotions and thoughts at an important moment in history,” said FFOYA House co-founder Amanda J. Crawford. “Our nation is divided, and many people in our community are worried about growing expressions of hate as well as threats to the First Amendment.”
 
Featured visual artists include Annie Erskine, Chloe Lee, Ariana Michaela, Lykaia Quinn, Molly Claiborne, Syren the Commander, Alayna Milby, Todd Kessler and Emily Lobb Hendricksen. (Update: See their work here.) 
 
Poetry and prose writers who will read during the event include Riley Finwood, Hidey Taylor, Sherri Craig, Beck Fatzinger, Clinton Craig, John Kent Shelton and others. (Writers interested in reading can also sign up during the event to read as time permits.)
 
The Degenerate Art Show is named as a historic reference to the term used by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe art that ran afoul of the ideals of National Socialism. Such art was banned because it was seen as un-German, Jewish or Communist in nature; artists were sanctioned and artwork was destroyed
 
The show is a reminder that art is a key form of expression, protected under the U.S. Constitution, and a force to express discontent, question authority and push for social change.
 
About FFOYA House: FFOYA House is a Kentucky non-profit that aims to support the working class arts community and help connect creative people with social justice causes and sustainable living practices. The house -- which includes an urban garden, commission-free art gallery, sliding-scale recording studio and performance space -- serves as a safe space to foster artistic experimentation and community organizing and to instill confidence through the voice of the arts. Learn more at www.ffoyahouse.com. 
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Two events organized with the regional domestic violence shelter and organization Barren River Area Safe Space drew guests from throughout the region to FFOYA House in October for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. 

An art gallery show on themes related to Domestic Violence Awareness Month featured the work of eight local artists. It opened for the Oct. 14 BG Gallery Hop. The Gallery Hop also included a poetry/prose reading featuring several local writers. 

On Oct. 15, FFOYA House hosted the DVAM Benefit Show for BRASS that featured live music, art and activities to raise awareness about domestic violence and BRASS' work. Nashville singer-songwriter Eva Ross and her band performed along with Former Friends of Young Americans, a post-folk project featuring FFOYA House co-founders and artists in residence.

Donations of food, personal care items and money were collected for BRASS at both events. 

Read more about the events in stories by Callie Miller at the WKU's College Heights Herald and Simone Payne at the Bowling Green Daily News.