Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke Jr. Auditorium
Visual AIDS Day With(out) Art video program, ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS
UMFA's observance of this annual international event includes an all-day screening of ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS, a series of short videos by seven artists about the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. The films will be played on a loop all day, stop in anytime to watch. The complete run time for all videos is 50 minutes.
The Museum will also cover Angela Ellsworth's Seer Bonnets, on view in the modern and contemporary gallery, to illustrate the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS on the art world and society.
UMFA senior curator Whitney Tassie says Angela Ellsworth’s Seer Bonnets are a favorite in the modern and contemporary gallery—their bodily presence and intricate construction catch the attention of visitors as soon as they enter the gallery. The Seer Bonnets inspire conversations about pain and love, power and powerlessness. By covering them from view for a day, the UMFA hopes to increase awareness of the worldwide AIDS epidemic and remind visitors that there is still work to do to combat the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS on the art world and society.
Visual AIDS has commissioned seven artists— Mykki Blanco, Cheryl Dunye, Reina Gosset, Thomas Allen Harris, Kia Labeija, Tiona McClodden and Brontez Purnell–to create short videos ~7 minutes each in length about the ongoing HIV/AIDS crisis. The video program, titled ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS, is the 28th iteration of Visual AIDS’ longstanding Day With(out) Art project. Curated by Erin Christovale and Vivian Crockett, ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS looks to prioritize Black narratives within the ongoing AIDS epidemic.
In spite of the impact of HIV/AIDS within Black communities, these stories and experiences are constantly excluded from larger artistic and historical narratives. In 2016 African Americans represented 44% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Given this context, it is increasingly urgent to feature a myriad of stories that consider and represent the lives of those housed within this statistic. ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS seeks to highlight the voices of those that are marginalized within broader Black communities nationwide, including queer and trans folks.
The commissioned projects range from intimate meditations of a young HIV positive protagonist, to a contemporary re-imagining of 90s-era “safer sex” media culture, to a musical journey through New York exploring historical traces of queer and trans life, to accounts from formerly incarcerated women living with HIV/AIDS in the Bay Area. Together, the videos provide a platform centering voices deeply impacted by the ongoing epidemic.
Additional information, artist / curator bios, and updates on our planned 2017 Day With(out) programming can be found here: www.visualaids.org/projects/detail/alternate-endings-radical-beginnings