On this World AIDS Day of 2007, I am starting this post, which I will retroactively edit. I promise to make this post a full listing of artistic events that promised to increase the public's education and awareness of AIDS. To start out, I may only focus on the events which are to and which took place in New York City. And most of all, I wish to touch upon the artistic programs in which people commemorated -- and possibly even celebrated -- World AIDS Day. What can there be about artistic programs or artistic projects that focus on positive aspects about AIDS? What could there be to celebrate on a day that brings attention to this deadly global pandemic?
* In New York City, an activist and civil leader named Suzanne Engo is founder and Executive Director of the New York AIDS Film Festival. Can you imagine a film festival completly designed around visual media dedicated to the AIDS pandemic? Well, in New York, we are fortunate to have such an arts project that aims to have a positive impact. On the occassion of the debut of the New York AIDS Film Festival, Ms. Engo said, "I know that the media can be used as a tool for social change" (See Ms. Engo's Wikipedia page).
* In connection with the 5th Annual New York AIDS Film Festival in 2007, the director Wolfgang Busch screen a special segment from his documentary, How Do I Look. (Disclosure: How Do I Look is an arts-in-education project which this blog is promoting.)
* To learn more about AIDS, please read the HIV/AIDS in Our World Today factsheet made available online by aidsdaynyc.org.
* To learn more about this important day, you can click here and run an instant Google search for the term World AID Day.
