November 26, 2004

AVOC, Caracole honor World AIDS Day as one
with arts

by Katie Taft

Cincinnati--In honor of World AIDS Day on Wednesday, December 1, Cincinnati organizations have joined together to raise awareness with free programs, entertainment and admission at the Contemporary Arts Center. Two local AIDS service organizations, AIDS Volunteers of Cincinnati and Caracole, are hosting the event.

On World AIDS Day, the CAC will be free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. In the lobby, visitors can enjoy music by DJ Offbeat and entertainment by Jay Love from WDBZ 1230 AM. In addition, visitors can catch a glimpse of the CAC�s upcoming exhibition �Black President: The Art and Legacy of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti,� which opens on December 18.

Fela, a legendary Nigerian Afrobeat musician and activist, died of an AIDS-related illness in 1997. �Black President� is a collection of paintings, photographs, album covers and mixed media work by a roster of over 40 international artists to honor Fela�s life and contributions.

�World AIDS Day is such an important event because it increases understanding of how this grave problem is a local and global issue,� said arts center director Linda Shearer. �Through this event, visitors will learn how HIV/AIDS affects all of us and hopefully be inspired to get involved.�

World AIDS Day evolved out of what began as �A Day Without Art.� On December 1, 1989, artists, galleries and museums in New York City united to commemorate the loss of their friends and family members who had succumbed to AIDS-related illness.

Today, we celebrate that tradition with World AIDS Day, a day set aside to remember those who have lost the battle to HIV and to honor the lives of those who have been affected by the disease. In more recent years, the emphasis has shifted from �a day without art� to a day about art, as artists respond and reflect on AIDS. AVOC and Caracole are hosting the event at the arts center to raise awareness about local issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, while also drawing attention to their outreach programs.

The Contemporary Art Center is located at 44 East Sixth Street in Cincinnati. For more information about the center, call 513-3458400 or log onto www.contemporaryartscenter.org. AVOC can be reached at 513-4212437 or online at www.avoc.org, and Caracole at 513-7611480, www.caracole.org.

Katie Taft is the public relations director of the Contemporary Arts Center.