New York City Aids Memorial Inc

NEW YORK CITY AIDS MEMORIAL, INC. (NYCAM) IS DEDICATED TO THE RECOGNITION AND PRESERVATION OF THE ONGOING HISTORY OF THE AIDS CRISIS. NYCAM HAS RAISED FUNDS TO BUILD AND MAINTAIN A MEMORIAL, WHICH WAS COMPLETED AND OPENED TO THE PUBLIC IN FEBRUARY 2017 LOCATED IN A NEW PARK ON GREENWICH AVENUE AND WEST 12TH STREET (THE TRIANGLE PARCEL) IN NEW YORK CITY. THE MEMORIAL HONORS THE CITYS OVER 100,000 MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN WHO HAVE DIED FROM AIDS AND COMMEMORATES AND CELEBRATES THE EFFORTS OF THE CAREGIVERS AND ACTIVISTS WHO RESPONDED TO FIGHT THE DISEASE. TODAY, THE MEMORIAL AIMS TO INSPIRE VISITORS TO REMEMBER AND REFLECT AS WELL AS EMPOWER CURRENT AND FUTURE ACTIVISTS, HEALTH PROFESSIONALS, AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN THE CONTINUING MISSION TO ERADICATE THE DISEASE THROUGH ITS PERMANENT, ARCHITECTURALLY SIGNIFICANT MEMORIAL AS WELL AS THROUGH PUBLIC EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING.

WORLD AIDS DAY 2019THE NEW YORK CITY AIDS MEMORIAL PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL PROGRAMS AROUND WORLD AIDS DAY 2019, TAKING PLACE ON-SITE, IN NEW YORK CITY, AND ACROSS NEW YORK STATE, ALONGSIDE AUXILIARY EVENTS AND PROGRAMS. ON DECEMBER 1 WE HOSTED OUT OF THE DARKNESS, A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL WHICH BEGAN AT THE NEW YORK CITY AIDS MEMORIAL (GREENWICH AVENUE & WEST 12TH STREET) AND CONTINUED TO ST. JOHNS LUTHERAN CHURCH (81 CHRISTOPHER STREET) FOR TIME OF REFLECTION AND READING OF NAMES OF THOSE WE HAVE LOST TO AIDS AND A GATHERING WITH GUEST SPEAKERS AND PERFORMANCES. ADDITIONALLY, WE PARTICIPATED IN CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT: AN ADVENT SEQUENCE FOR WORLD AIDS DAY SUNG BY THE PROFESSIONAL CHOIR OF ST JOHNS IN THE VILLAGE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CHOIR OF DIGNITY NEW YORK.

HEAR ME: VOICES OF THE EPIDEMICPOSTPONED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, THE SPRING AND SUMMER OF 2020 WAS SPENT PLANNING HEAR ME: VOICES OF THE EPIDEMIC, AN ORIGINAL, OPEN-SPACE, EXPERIENTIAL SOUND-AND-LIGHT BASED INSTALLATION. THE SOUNDTRACK IS COMPOSED OF HISTORICAL TEXTS, POETRY, SPEECHES, MUSIC, AND MORE THAT CAPTURE THE HISTORY OF THE EPIDEMIC. EXAMPLES INCLUDE A POWERFUL SPEECH BY VITO RUSSO (1946-90), A SONG COMPOSED BY MICHAEL CALLEN (1955-93), HISTORIC RECORDINGS OF AN ACT UP-LED PROTEST MADE BY ARTIST DAVID WOJNAROWICZ (1954-92), AND POEMS BY MELVIN DIXON (1950-92) AND KIA LABEIJA, WHO WAS BORN IN 1990 AT ST. VINCENTS HOSPITAL, ON WHOSE FORMER SITE THE MEMORIAL SITS TODAY. THIS PUBLIC, MONTH-LONG PROGRAM IS TO BE ACCOMPANIED BY A DISTINCTIVE LIGHTING INSTALLATION. THE PROGRAM WILL BE PROCEEDED EACH DAY, BEGINNING AT 10 A.M., BY A RECORDING FEATURING THE NAMES OF OVER 2,000 NEW YORKERS, REPRESENTING A FRACTION OF THE 100,000+ LOST TO AIDS, AND READ BY WHAT WOULD AN HIV DOULA DO?, A GROUP OF ACTIVISTS, CAREGIVERS, FRIENDS, LONG-TERM SURVIVORS OF HIV/AIDS, AND PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV TODAY.

NO DAY UNLESS IM PART OF ITPRESENTED WITH THE POETRY PROJECT, THE NEW YORK CITY AIDS MEMORIAL HOSTED NO DAY UNLESS IM PART OF IT A ONLINE BROADCASTED POETRY EVENT IN HONOR OF NEW YORK CITY PRIDE, HELD VIRTUALLY DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THIRTY YEARS AGO, IN THE MIDST OF ANOTHER PANDEMIC, TIM DLUGOS WRITES G9, THE LONG POEM OF HIS DYING, FROM A HOSPITAL OVERLOOKING 7TH AVENUE, WHERE THE NEW YORK CITY AIDS MEMORIAL STANDS TODAY. A FEW BLOCKS UPTOWN ASSOTTO SAINT IS PUTTING FINISHING TOUCHES ON HIS ANTHOLOGY THE ROAD BEFORE US: 100 BLACK GAY POETS. ITS BEEN JUST TWO YEARS SINCE THE MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR THE CHOREOGRAPHER JOHN BERND AT ST. MARKS, AND ONE YEAR SINCE COOKIE MUELLERS MEMORIAL AT THE SAME CHURCH. IN THE MIDST OF BOTH NEW AND CONTINUING CRISES, PROTESTS, RECKONING, AND UNCERTAINTY, WE TURN THIS YEAR TO THE WORK OF THESE AND OTHER POETS AND ARTISTS WHO HAVE DIED OF AIDS-RELATED ILLNESS. THIS EVENT FEATURED READINGS BY ATOM ATKINSON, CHEN CHEN, MIGUEL GUTIERREZ, SHIV KOTECHA, FRANCISCO MRQUEZ, EILEEN MYLES, RON PADGETT, ETHAN PHILBRICK, XANDRIA PHILLIPS, JAYSON P. SMITH, KIKI SMITH, PAMELA SNEED, SPOTLIGHTING THE WORK OF JOHN BERND, JAIME GIL DE BIEDMA, JOE BRAINARD, JUSTIN CHIN, TORY DENT, MELVIN DIXON, TIM DLUGOS, ESSEX HEMPHILL, COOKIE MUELLER, ARTHUR RUSSELL, ASSOTTO SAINT, DAVID WOJNAROWICZ, AND OTHERS.