A Day Without Art
A Day Without Art is an international remembrance of artists who have died of AIDS.
Held annually on World AIDS Day (December 1), A Day Without Art is a day of mourning and action in response to the AIDS crisis. Throughout the world, museums and galleries honor those who have died in different ways: some dim the lights; others shroud artworks or remove them and put up AIDS-prevention information in their place; and still others close for the day while staffers volunteer at AIDS-service organizations.
A Day Without Art was launched in 1988 by Visual AIDS, a non-profit AIDS organization based in New York. Visual AIDS was begun by activists closely tied to the arts community, who were also involved early on with ACT-UP NY (back in 1982). The event was meant to increase awareness and encourage discussion of AIDS related issues, especially the impact of AIDS in the art world. More than 800 US arts and AIDS groups participated in the first Day Without Art.
Over 65,000 AIDS and cultural institutions worldwide are participating in today's action. It is a time of sadness but also a time of renewed hope and inspiration. We at vivid encourage our site visitors to take a moment and reflect on the meaning of loss in their own lives, and explore the new AIDS Memorial Quilt website.
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