Artists Answer AIDS

In 1990, George Ciscle’s traveling exhibition Outcry: Artists Answer AIDS made a stop at AAC. Featuring artist Virginia Brown’s photography, the exhibition provided a safe environment for a discussion about AIDS. Now, both Ciscle and Brown are back at AAC along with artist Amy Boone-McCreesh for AIDS Unanswered, an exhibition in REPRISE: 40 for the Fore.

For AIDS Unanswered, Brown is showing the black and white portraits of AIDS-affected individuals that she featured in the original show Outcry. Underneath each portrait is the hand-written signature of the individual. Each signature demonstrates the “courage of those who volunteered to publicly take a stand by being photographed,” creating another level of intimacy between the viewer and the subject. The photographs reflect Brown’s desire to create art that both reveals and confronts social issues.

Karyn Miller, AAC’s Director of Exhibitions, along with Ciscle “remixed” the exhibition by featuring Amy Boone-McCreesh’s brightly colored totem-like sculptures and garlands made from cut paper, artificial flowers, ribbons, and other materials. While her mixed media works reflect international funerary and celebratory displays, she re-contextualizes the displays to explore ideas of power and status. Boone-McCreesh’s bright abstract works are an interesting contrast next to Brown’s intimate portraits.

The exhibition is on view between July 12 and October 3. AIDS Unanswered is just one section of the exhibition, so mark your calendar for REPRISE: 40 for the Fore. To learn more about Outcry, read the interview with curator George Ciscle here.

Save the date! Saturday, Sept. 6, from 1 pm to 4 pm we will host a gallery talk featuring the artists and curators for Home (again) and AIDS Unanswered. Come to hear from the artists and curators, stay to mingle with them over wine and cheese.

written by AAC Summer Intern Shelley O’Conor