Error processing SSI file What is Day With(out) Art?
For one day--December 1st/World AIDS Day each year-- Day With(out) Art is an opportunity for the worldwide arts and cultural community to remember those who have died from AIDS related illnesses and to bring together diverse audiences in shared commemoration.
When and why did Day With(out) Art get started?
Day Without Art (DWA) began in 1989 as the national day of action and mourning in response to the AIDS crisis. To make the public aware that AIDS can touch everyone, and inspire positive action, some 800 U.S. art and AIDS groups participated in the first Day Without Art, shutting down museums, sending staff to volunteer at AIDS services, or sponsoring special exhibitions of work about AIDS. In 1997 we suggested Day Without Art become a Day WITH Art, to recognize and promote increased programming of cultural events that draw attention to the continuing pandemic. Since then, Day With(out) Art has grown into a collaborative project in which an estimated 8,000 museums, galleries, art centers, AIDS Service Organizations, libraries, high schools and colleges take part on both the national and international levels. Day Without Art (DWA) was founded by Visual AIDS.
How has the Michigan State University Museum been involved in Day With(out) Art?
Michigan State University Museum has regularly engaged in Day With(out) Art for many years joining local and worldwide cultural organizations in this education and awareness endeavor. Activities have included making and displaying NAMES Quilt panels, showing films, showcasing AIDS art from the MSU Museum collection, and closing galleries or draping objects for one day.
Why is Michigan State University Museum involved in AIDS-related research and education?
Michigan State University Museum is committed to its role as a facilitator of research and education and an agent of awareness, reflection, and positive social action especially as it relates to issues-like the AIDS world pandemic-in contemporary society.
In addition to regular participation in Day With(out) Art, the MSU Museum has collaborated with researchers, educators and health practitioners on a variety of projects to document, interpret, and present material cultural related to the AIDS pandemic. These activities have included programs at the annual Festival of Michigan Folklife (now the Great Lakes Folk Festival) and two major exhibitions: "Siyazama: Traditional Arts, AIDS, and Education in South Africa," and "The NAMES Project Quilt: AIDS and Traditions of Needlework in Social Change and Public Memorials."
The MSU Museum also developed and houses a collection of AIDS related material culture, including a panel made for the NAMES Quilt Project and a body of work created by women participating in an AIDS education project in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa. Error processing SSI file
