I would be lying if I said that I had a lot of knowledge about AIDS, but reading this article really opened my eyes up to how detrimental it is for our society to educate themselves. Act Up show is an organization that is set out to do just that. There are a lot of stigmas and myths surrounding the AIDS epidemic and Act Up tries to educate people on the true facts about AIDS and what we as a world can do to help. Act Up created a work of art to raise awareness on the AIDS crisis, it was a neon logo, and SILENCE = DEATH was written above it. Douglas Crimp raised three critical points against the ignorant beliefs stated by Robert Rosenblum, my favorite being, "Raising money is the most passive response of cultural practitioners to social crisis, a response that perpetuatues the idea that art itself has no social function (aside from being a commodity), that there is no such thing as an engaged, activist aesthetic practice. .... art does have the power to save lives, and it is this very power that must be recognized, fostered, and supported in every way possible. We don't need a cultural renaissance; we need cultural practices actively participating in the struggle against AIDS. WE DON'T NEED TO TRANSCEND THE EPIDEMIC, WE NEED TO END IT" (Kocur and Leung 144). Even when I was just reading about the art installment of "Let the Record Show" I got chills when I visualized what that must have looked like. It hit me with a power and I did not even see it in person. Art has the power to move people, and inspire them. Raising money is a good thing to do, but it is not the ONLY thing we should be doing. Art is an incredible tool that we can use to raise awareness and end this epidemic before it claims any more lives.
- ashley cavan