Bill Shipsey (born 22 June 1958) is a human rights activist, barrister (retired), artist event promoter, producer and consultant. He is the founder of Art for Amnesty,

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

's global artist engagement programme, and the co-founder of Art 19. Since 2018 he has lived in Paris.

Art for Amnesty

Music projects

Shipsey joined Amnesty in the late 1970s, inspired in part by the activism of entertainers, who performed at the Monty-Python-esque ' Secret Policeman's Ball' benefit show. As founder of Art for Amnesty, Shipsey has brought together a number of world-renowned artists for music, literary, visual art and other artist lead projects that benefit Amnesty: # Shipsey was co-executive producer of ' Instant Karma', Amnesty's multi-star benefit album of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

compositions. So far the album has raised over $5m in royalties for Amnesty. The album hit number one on iTunes stores around the world and was nominated for several

Grammies The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

. Shipsey said the idea was "to allow Amnesty to engage with the iPod-listening, music-downloading, 16-to-26-year-olds.

he album He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...

enabled us to reach out and engage young kids in a way we hadn't for years." # He devised and produced the Small Places Tour, a 2008 music concert project which partnered with over 800 concerts in some 40 countries worldwide. # From 2009–2019 he has overseen the participation of Amnesty on U2's global tours. # In October 2010, he partnered with German entrepreneur Jochen Wilms and their mutual musician friend

Carl Carlton Carl Carlton (born May 21, 1953) is an American R&B, soul, and funk singer-songwriter, best known for his hits "Everlasting Love" and "She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)". Career Carlton was born in Detroit, Michigan, and bega ...

to create a commemorative song for Amnesty's 50th Anniversary. This led to the groundbreaking Art for Amnesty Band 'Toast to Freedom' song with contributions from nearly 50 singers from all over the world. 'Toast To Freedom' was launched worldwide on 3 May 2012. # Shipsey also promoted and produced 'Electric Burma', a concert held on 18 June 2012 in honour of Burmese leader

Aung San Suu Kyi Aung San Suu Kyi (; ; born 19 June 1945) is a Burmese politician, diplomat, author, and a 1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate who served as State Counsellor of Myanmar (equivalent to a prime minister) and Minister of Foreign Affairs from ...

featuring

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...

Damien Rice Damien George Rice (born 7 December 1973) is an Irish singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success i ...

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...

Bob Geldof Robert Frederick Zenon Geldof (; born 5 October 1951) is an Irish singer-songwriter, and political activist. He rose to prominence in the late 1970s as lead singer of the Rock music in Ireland, Irish rock band the Boomtown Rats, who achieved ...

Angelique Kidjo Angelique or Angélique may refer to: * Angélique (given name), a French feminine name Arts and entertainment Music * Angélique (instrument), a string instrument of the lute family * ''Angélique'', a 1927 opéra bouffe by Jacques Ibert * ...

and many others. # He co-executive produced 'Bringing Human Rights Home' a concert held on 5 February 2014, benefitting Amnesty International in the

Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty o ...

in Brooklyn, New York. # In May 2015 he produced and directed two concerts and several other artist events in Mexico City for Amnesty entitled 'Desde Aqui' to mark the opening of the Amnesty International regional hub for the Americas in Mexico City. One of the concerts featured renowned Venezuelan pianist Gabriella Montero and the other

Saul Hernandez Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tri ...

Caifanes Caifanes is a rock band from Mexico City. Formed in 1987, the group achieved international fame during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The original line-up was Saúl Hernández (vocals and guitar), Sabo Romo (bass guitar), (drums) and Diego He ...

and

Lila Downs Ana Lila Downs Sánchez (born 9 September 1968 * *) is a Mexican singer-songwriter. She performs her own compositions and the works of others in multiple genres, as well as tapping into Mexican traditional and popular music. She also incorporat ...

. # In 2017 he launched "Eleanor's Dream" a one-year artist lead project to mark the 70th Anniversary of the UDHR and to celebrate the achievement of Eleanor Roosevelt in its creation and adoption. Internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Damien Rice performed a sell-out acoustic concert in the Olympia in Paris on 11 December.

Ambassador of Conscience Award

Shipsey conceived and created the

Ambassador of Conscience Award The Ambassador of Conscience Award is Amnesty International's most prestigious human rights award. It celebrates individuals and groups who have furthered the cause of human rights by showing exceptional courage standing up to injustice and who h ...

. The Award Ceremonies were produced as Art for Amnesty events from 2003 to 2015. The Award has been bestowed on such diverse activists as

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second Pak ...

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then as ...

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

Ai Wei Wei Ai Weiwei (, ; born 28 August 1957) is a Chinese contemporary artist, documentarian, and activist. Ai grew up in the far northwest of China, where he lived under harsh conditions due to his father's exile. As an activist, he has been openly cr ...

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

, U2 and most recently

Greta Thunberg Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg (; born 3 January 2003) is a Swedish environmental activist who is known for challenging world leaders to take immediate action for climate change mitigation. Thunberg's activism began when she persuaded ...

. The Ambassador of Conscience Award was inspired by Irish poet

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

, a supporter of Amnesty for over 30 years. Heaney dedicated a poem to Amnesty entitled "From the Republic of Conscience" in 1985.

Memorial projects

Tapestries

Since 2012 Shipsey has conceived and commissioned fourteen monumental memorial tapestries. They have mainly been funded by artist supporters of Amnesty International including Bono and

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

of U2,

Sting Sting may refer to: * Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger * Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself Fictional characters and entities * Sting (Middle-eart ...

, Peter Gabriel,

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up i ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

and John Legend, and honour, among others, Václav Havel, Seamus Heaney, Nelson Mandela, John Lennon and the people of Colombia and Greece. These tapestries are to be found at various airport and museum locations around the world. Eleven of the tapestries, the Amnesty-Sís-Pinton Tapestries, were designed by New York-based Czech artist

Peter Sís Peter Sís (born Petr Sís; May 11, 1949) is a Czech-born American illustrator and writer of children's books. As a cartoonist his editorial illustrations have appeared in ''Time'', ''Newsweek'', ''Esquire'', and ''The Atlantic Monthly''. For his ...

. The tapestry for Colombia, "The Musicians", was designed by

Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...

. The tapestry for Greece, "I love Greece", was designed by

Sophia Vari Sophia Vari ( el, Σοφία Βάρη; 9 October 1940 – 5 May 2023) was a Greek painter and sculptor. Biography Born as Sophia Canellopoulos, she was married to sculptor Fernando Botero. She opened a studio in Paris in 1992, where she tra ...

. The tapestry for Mexico, "El Holocausto", was created by Manuel Rodríguez Lozano. All but one were created by weavers at Ateliers Pinton in Felletin-Aubusson, France.

Bronze statuary

Since 2014 Shipsey has commissioned and promoted six bronze busts of Václav Havel, six of

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

and two of Chinese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Liu Xiaobo Liu Xiaobo (; 28 December 1955 – 13 July 2017) was a Chinese writer, literary critic, human rights activist, philosopher and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who called for political reforms and was involved in campaigns to end communist one-par ...

in cities and universities around the world. He has also been instrumental in promoting and placing several '

Havel's Place Havel's Place is a public art project, which creates a series of memorial places dedicated to the last president of Czechoslovakia and the first president of the Czech Republic, Václav Havel. The installation consists of two garden chairs around ...

' memorial benches, designed by his late friend Bořek Šípek, in Dublin, Barcelona, Venice, The Hague, Lisbon and Ljubljana, to honour the late Czech President, playwright and dissident Václav Havel.

Azulejo murals

In 2018 he began to work with internationally recognised

Azulejo ''Azulejo'' (, ; from the Arabic ''al- zillīj'', ) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. ''Azulejos'' are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, resta ...

maker Viuva Lamego in Lisbon to produce Azulejo murals, the traditional Portuguese ''majolica'' glazed tiles. Bill Shipsey and

Peter Sis Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

partnered with the City of Lisbon to create a large Azulejo mural to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal De ...

(UDHR). The 15 square meter mural of Sis' drawing "Si morg" was unveiled on 10 December 2018, on

Human Rights Day Human Rights Day is celebrated annually around the world on 10 December every year. The date was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly's adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Right ...

, by Katerina Vaz Pinto, the cultural counsellor of the city de Lisbon. In February 2019, Peter Sis was commissioned to design another Azujelo mural to mark the 30th Anniversary of the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution ( cs, Sametová revoluce) or Gentle Revolution ( sk, Nežná revolúcia) was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations agains ...

. This 70 metre long and 3.6-metre high mural will be completed and installed in Prague in 2021. In 2020, a 10 square meter Ana Juan designed Azulejo mural, entitled "Solidarity", was commissioned by Shipsey for the city of Paris.

Book projects

''Anything Can Happen: A Poem and an Essay''

''Anything Can Happen: A Poem and an Essay'', is a unique poetry book by Irish Poet

Seamus Heaney Seamus Justin Heaney (; 13 April 1939 – 30 August 2013) was an Irish poet, playwright and translator. He received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.

. Based on

Horace Quintus Horatius Flaccus (; 8 December 65 – 27 November 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace (), was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus (also known as Octavian). The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his ' ...

Odes Odes may refer to: *The plural of ode, a type of poem *Odes (Horace), ''Odes'' (Horace), a collection of poems by the Roman author Horace, circa 23 BCE *Odes of Solomon, a pseudepigraphic book of the Bible *Book of Odes (Bible), a Deuterocanonic ...

, Heaney reflects upon the relevance of art in the political context of the twenty-first century. It was translated into 23 languages, in association with Art for Amnesty and for the support of Amnesty International.

''Windows On Elsewhere: 60 Refugees, 60 Views''

A collaboration between Art for Amnesty, and Turin-based artist and architect Matteo Pericoli gave rise to a unique project: ''Windows on Elsewhere, 60 Refugees, 60 views''. The project will comprise a book and a limited-edition box set of drawings and stories by each of the 60 refugees. The first edition of the book will be published by Il Saggiatore in Italian, in May 2021.

Art 19

In 2018, together with German friends Mike Karstens and Burkhard Richter, and fellow Art for Amnesty activist Jochen Wilms, he co-founded Art 19 GmbH to raise money for Amnesty International from the sale of artwork by the world’s leading contemporary artists. The name ‘Art 19’ is a play on Article 19 of

which declares that: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression." Art 19 Box One was launched in November 2019 and was exhibited at the meCollectors Room Berlin,

MAMCO The MAMCO () is the contemporary art museum of Geneva, which opened in 1994. The building is a former factory building, with 3000 m2 of exhibition space, it is the largest contemporary art museum of Switzerland. From 1994 to 2015, MAMCO was dire ...

in Geneva, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art in Prague, and at The

Grand Palais The Grand Palais des Champs-Élysées ( en, Great Palace of the Elysian Fields), commonly known as the Grand Palais (English: Great Palace), is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located at the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arro ...

in Paris.

Education

After attending National School in

Dunmore East Dunmore East () is a popular tourist and fishing village in County Waterford, Ireland. Situated on the west side of Waterford Harbour on Ireland's southeastern coast, it lies within the barony of Gaultier (''Gáll Tír'' – "foreigners' land" ...

, Co. Waterford Shipsey's secondary education was at

Castleknock College Castleknock College ( ga, Coláiste Caisleán Cnucha) is a voluntary Vincentian secondary school for boys, situated in the residential suburb of Castleknock, west of Dublin city centre, Ireland. Founded in 1835 by Philip Dowley, it is one o ...

in Dublin. He gained his Bachelor of Civil Law degree at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

(1976–79), and Barrister at Law degree from

King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns ( ir, Cumann Onórach Óstaí an Rí) is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environment ...

Dublin (1979–80). Bill Shipsey is the recipient of the 2022 UCD Alumni Award in Law

Professional memberships

* Bar of Ireland, 1981 * Bar of England & Wales, 1987 * Bar of Northern Ireland, 1989

Professional experience

* Junior Counsel Irish Bar, 1980–1994 * Senior Counsel Irish Bar, January 1994 – 2018 As a Barrister, Shipsey appeared for

before the

Court of Justice of the European Union The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) (french: Cour de justice de l'Union européenne or "''CJUE''"; Latin: Curia) is the Judiciary, judicial branch of the European Union (EU). Seated in the Kirchberg, Luxembourg, Kirchberg quart ...

. He has consulted widely with other human rights organisations around the world seeking to partner with artists in the promotion of human rights campaigns.

Organisations

* Art for Amnesty: Founder, May 2002 – present * Art 19: Co-Founder and shareholder, 2018 - present * Amnesty International Irish Section: Board member & chair, May 1984 – November 1987 *

: International Executive Committee board member, November 1987 – August 1989 * Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran: Board member & chair * Centre Culturel Irlandais (Paris): Strategy Committee board member *

Free Legal Advice Centres Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC) is a non-profit human rights organisation that provide pro bono publico assistance via a network of legal advice clinics throughout the Republic of Ireland. They have been involved in a number of notable law cases ...

: Board member & chair, October 1978 – May 1980 *

Irish Hospice Foundation Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: Board member & chair, March 2001 – July 2004 * Narrative4 Ireland: Board Member *

Poetry Ireland Poetry Ireland ( ga, Éigse Éireann) is an organisation for poets and poetry, in both Irish and English, in the island of Ireland. It is a private nonprofit organisation that receives support from The Arts Council of Ireland and The Arts Council of ...

: Board member, 2016 — 2020 * Rights and Security International (U.K.): Patron * The Estate of Seamus Heaney: Board member 2016 - 2021 * The Václav Havel Library Foundation: Board member * Tutaj/Here - Memorial Movement: Board Member

References

External links

Amnesty International

Art For Amnesty

Art 19
* Shipsey writing about the 'Toast to Freedom' project for the Huffington Post

* Shipsey at the Unveiling of Dublin's Havel's Place, 2014
Bill Shipsey at the Unveiling of Dublin's Havel's Place , The Vaclav Havel Library Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shipsey, Bill 1958 births Irish human rights activists Living people People from Waterford (city) Alumni of King's Inns