The statistics are striking. 39.4 million people are estimated to be living with it. 20 million people have already died from it. And in some African countries, as much as 24 percent of the population has been infected with it.
Every year on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day is commemorated around the globe as part of a campaign to increase public awareness of various issues involved in the AIDS epidemic.
As celebrations kick off today, several local art institutions are joining the campaign to promote awareness and raise money for the fight against the epidemic. The Boston Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston are all hosting their own exhibits and film screenings throughout the day in order to increase public dialogue on the subject.
World AIDS Day was founded in 1988 as a response to increasing public concern over the then-quickly growing epidemic. It has since been recognized and promoted by the United Nations, the World Health Assembly, and various communities from the national to the local level all around the world.
The campaign functions both as a celebration and a warning. Promotional campaigns honor the advances that have been made in fighting the epidemic, but they are also intended to let people know about issues and problems still remaining in the worldwide fight to combat AIDS.
For several years now, the MFA has hosted exhibits of local artwork in honor of World AIDS Day. This year, the exhibition will feature a sound installation put together by Katie Mansfield, a School of the Museum of Fine Arts student, in the museum's lower rotunda that will bombard visitors with questions and messages about AIDS in German, Hebrew, and several other languages.
The museum is also screening a short film entitled, "Living with Slim." The film, which was directed by Boston University film professor Sam Kauffman, documents the lives of seven African children who have been infected with the HIV virus.
The world that Kauffman's movie records is serious and grim. Six of the children have already lost at least one parent to the epidemic. They talk about what life is like living with the disease, how old they were when they first found out that they had it, and how HIV affects how they are treated by others, both at home and at school. The youngest child that Kauffman follows is seven-years-old; the oldest is only 17-years-old.
"Living with Slim" will be screened on Today at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Tickets to the event are free.
The Boston Center for the Arts is also joining the campaign this year by hosting the thirteenth annual Medicine Wheel at its gallery in the South End.
The Medicine Wheel was originally designed and created by artist Michael Dowling. It is an enormous sculptural installation built new each year in honor of World AIDS day that allows visitors to reflect on the pandemic through ritualized art as they move through the 36 shrines as part of a healing ritual.
Dowling chose to focus this year's exhibit on the element of fire. As the Medicine Wheel observance runs for its 24-hour lifespan, from midnight to midnight on Dec. 1, participants can take part in a ritualized vigil throughout the day, walking in a procession as they transport the fire into the place of honor within the Wheel.
Throughout the day, visitors will be invited to join in rituals of dance, song, and prayer. Local artists are expected to offer their own poems and music, and the public is invited to leave offerings in honor of those who have been affected by HIV or AIDS. The sculptural exhibit will be open for viewing through Dec. 2.
The Institute for Contemporary Arts will commemorate the occasion with the latest installment of their "Between" lecture series, which is intended to examine the relationship between artwork, literature, and modern issues.
AIDS activist Greg Borowitz has long used art in his campaign to spread awareness about the epidemic; he has written books, directed documentaries and movies, and even produced a regular cable television show intended to educate the public about AIDS.
On Dec. 1, he will be joined by Dr. James Meyer, an art history professor at Emory University, in order to discuss and examine his methods of promoting AIDS awareness. The lecture will be preceded by one of Borowitz's short films, "Habit" (2001), which will be screened at 4:45 p.m.
Living with AIDS is hardly an easy task, but with the increase in public awareness about the epidemic, it has become much easier than it once was. Whether reflecting on it through film, art, or ritual, Boston celebrations of World AIDS Day 2004 will at least contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the disease, perhaps one day helping to bring about a cure.
