By the late 1980's, the AIDS crisis had reached a fever pitch in the United States. Afflicting primarily (but not exclusively) the gay male population, tens of thousands of people were dying every year, with elected officials responding at a snail's pace, if at all.
To emphasize the impact this was having on the arts community, the art group Visual AIDS founded Day With(out) Art (DWA), an annual day of action and remembrance. The first DWA was held on December 1st, 1989, corresponding with the second annual World AIDS day.
For the first few years, Visual AIDS would highlight pieces of art hanging in museums and galleries by artists who had died of the disease. They also expanded their scope by creating projects that were too big for the wider public to ignore. Jane Alexander, former Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts, said, "this day reinforces the vitality and power art brings to our daily lives by showing how the absence of art leaves a void of spirit."
For the past 13 years, Visual AIDS has helped create videos for each DWA. This year you can see their latest film, Everyone I Know is Sick, at any of these live screenings, or stream it for free here on December 1st. Though deeply painful, DWA can help us remember those we have lost and imagine a future where we can do better by each other. Here is a selection of library materials about the intersections of AIDS, activism, and art.
Let the Record Show: a Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulmann
Published in 2021, this comprehensive history focuses on the first five years of the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, better known as ACT UP. A political organization deeply tied to the art world, ACT UP staged many large scale demonstrations that brought greater attention to the AIDS epidemic.
Art AIDS America by Jonathan D. Katz
An overview of art made in response to the AIDS epidemic in the United States, this book was published in conjunction with the Tacoma Art Museum for an exhibition they held in 2015.
Art After Stonewall 1969-1989 by Jonathan Weinberg, Tyler Cann, & Drew Sawyer
Divided into different sections with different themes, this book has a whole chapter on AIDS and Activism, with specific mentions of DWA and the NAMES Project.
7 Miles a Second by David Wojnarowicz, James Romberger, & Marguerite Van Cook
Wojnarowicz's devastating autobiographical comic was written in the last few years before his death due to AIDS. Heart wrenching, harrowing, and beautiful, this book starts with his troubled youth and ends with the anger, pain and rage he feels as the illness takes over his body and life.
Angels In America written by Tony Kushner & directed by Mike Nichols
The pivotal plays by playwright Tony Kushner were adapted into a miniseries by HBO in 2003. The story focuses on an interconnected cast of characters from all different walks of life who are affected by the illness in different ways.
Common Threads: Stories From the Quilt by Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, & Cindy Ruskin
This 1989 documentary tells the story of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt through the stories of five different people memorialized in the Quilt's panels.
United in Anger: A History of ACT UP by Jim Hubbard
Released for DWA in 2012, this documentary covers the history of ACT UP, with special focus on the planning of many of their major actions that took place in the 80's and 90's.
~posted by Eliza E., with special help from Eliza S.
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