Day With(out) Art

Day Without Art, also known as World AIDS Day, was created to both acknowledge and mourn the passing of those infected with AIDS, as well as take action against this disease that has killed tens of millions of people all over the world since the pandemic began.

By 1985, at least 12,000 Americans were known to have AIDS, and 7,000 died from the disease that year alone. Still, not many people saw it fit to discuss this complicated illness that was taking the lives of so many friends and family members.

History of Day With(out) Art

Originally, when it was created in 1988, this event was called Day Without Art. The purpose was to raise awareness about the disease, especially that it can in fact touch everyone – a fact that was not as well known then as it is today.

Furthermore, the creators of Day With Art (DWA) wanted to inspire positive action by waking the public up to the suffering around them and perhaps getting them to help the sick. The name of the day itself was intended to make people think what kind of place the world would be without art and artists, as many artists of the day were among those infected with HIV.

Thomas Sokolowski, then head of the New York University’s Grey Art Gallery and a gay artist himself, decided he had to do something. On the first Day Without Art, some 800 American art and AIDS groups shut down museums for the day, sending the employees to volunteer at AIDS services instead. Additionally, some museums organized special exhibitions of various works about AIDS.

Since then, the number of organizations involved has grown dramatically, to an estimated 8,000 national and international museums, galleries, art centers, AIDS Service Organizations, libraries, high schools and colleges taking part each year.

In 1998, Visual AIDS proposed that the name of the day be changed to Day With(out) Art, in order to help promote the annual cultural events that I turn help draw attention to the AIDS pandemic, even though the original intentions of the name “Day Without Art” were different.

They explained this decision, saying, “We added parentheses to the program title, Day With(out) Art, to highlight the proactive programming of art projects by artists living with HIV/AIDS, and art about AIDS, that were taking place around the world.”

How to Celebrate Day Without Art

This day can be celebrated in many ways, from paying tribute to those who have died of AIDS, to organizing various events to continue to raise awareness about the disease and how it can be prevented.

Visit an Art Gallery

Pay a visit to an art gallery that is having some sort of exhibition of the works of artists that suffered or continue to suffer from AIDS. As mentioned before, a multitude of artists in various areas, be it painting, singing, acting or dancing as well as many other famous people, have become infected with AIDS over the years. Take some time on this day to pay special attention to their work, their talent, and who they are/were as human beings will definitely be one of the best things to celebrate Day Without Art.

Learn Stories of Famous People with HIV

Get more involved with Day Without Art by learning a bit more about some famous people who have opened up about their journey with AIDS or HIV. These include actor Rock Hudson, basketball player Magic Johnson, musician Freddie Mercury, New York Graffiti artist Keith Haring, supermodel Gia Carangi, Brady Bunch comedy star Robert Reed, and tennis sensation Arthur Ashe.