Artwork by Africans to Be Auctioned for AIDS Programs and Research
Last
winter, more than 30 African artists were invited by the Harvard AIDS
Institute and Bristol-Myers Squibb to illustrate the meaning of HIV/AIDS
in their lives. All but two accepted. Now, the works of respected artists
from five countries in southern Africa will be on display at HU's Carpenter
Center, 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge from November 24 to 28.
The display, "ArtWorks for AIDS," premiered at the 13th International Conference on AIDS in Durban, South Africa last summer. From there, the exhibit went to Washington, DC and Brussels, Belgium.
The artwork will be auctioned at the Harvard Club in Boston on November 30, and proceeds will fund HIV/AIDS research and programs in southern Africa.
One of the major beneficiaries will be the Botswana-Harvard Partnership for HIV Research and Education, a collaboration between the Harvard AIDS Institute and the Botswana Ministry of Health to study mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Botswana.
"Southern Africa is a visual and colorful place," said Richard Marlink, executive director of the Harvard AIDS Institute. "It seemed appropriate to use art to reflect the hope and struggles of people with HIV and AIDS in Africa."
The artwork emphasizes the theme of women and children living and dying in the midst of the AIDS epidemic. The artists have expressed their ideas through paintings, photographs, woodwork, needlework, and linocuts.
"'ArtWorks for AIDS' merges private and public experiences and embraces the social domain," said Marilyn Martin, curator of the exhibit in the foreword to the exhibition's catalog.
For more information, visit http://aids.harvard.edu/artworks.
