Day Without Art honors World AIDS Day

The Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Art Committee has organized a Day Without Art today (Dec. 1) in conjunction with the observance of World AIDS Day.

The Day Without Art project began on Dec. 1, 1989. The goal was to strengthen the global response to the challenges of the AIDS pandemic. At that time, many galleries closed or covered their art works in a day of mourning and communities around the world observed the day with silence. Today, more than 6,000 arts communities around the world demonstrate the power of art to raise awareness of AIDS.

The WUD Art Committee wanted to make the 2010 Day Without Art on campus bigger and better in an effort to show the student body that the cause is still an important one.

The committee selected three areas in the Memorial Union where art works will be covered between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. today. Those locations include the Porter Butts/Class of 1925 gallery, the Lakefront on Langdon gallery and the Theater Gallery. The paintings will be covered with black cloth and there will be information and facts about the AIDS pandemic posted.

There will be another AIDS-related event on campus today as well. From 9 a.m.-3 p.m., the UW–Madison chapter of the American Medical Student Association, an organization of premed students, will be on Library Mall handing out AIDS ribbons at their stand, along with hot chocolate. The students hope to increase awareness, fight prejudice and improve HIV/AIDS education.

The LGBT Campus Center will be putting up a display on the lower third of Bascom Hill tomorrow that will consist of signs promoting awareness about HIV/AIDS. The center is also sponsoring an event in the evening. http://lgbt.wisc.edu/events/

The Chazen Museum of Art will display an untitled print by artist David Wojnarowicz. He created it in 1992, the year in which he died of AIDS-related complications. The print will not be covered due to the powerful image it depicts.