GLBT History Museum Exhibit Focuses on History of AIDS Activism

A new exhibition at San Francisco’s GLBT History Museum, "Life and Death in Black and White: AIDS Direct Action in San Francisco, 1985-1990," features the work of five queer photographers who documented the emergence of militant AIDS activism in San Francisco through the medium of black-and-white film. “With sharp focus and deep compassion, they turned their lenses on their own community, capturing sorrow and outrage, courage and wit, a fierce will to live and a deep commitment to honor the dying and remember the dead,” said the museum’s March 19 press release.

The exhibition features the work of Jane Philomen Cleland, Patrick Clifton, Marc Geller, Rick Gerharter, and Daniel Nicoletta. Some of their images of AIDS activism have become iconic; others have never before been publicly displayed. All of them portray civil disobedience as a response to discrimination, indifference, and official neglect in the face of a fatal epidemic.

"Life and Death in Black and White" is curated by historians Gerard Koskovich, Don Romesburg, and Amy Sueyoshi. The exhibition will be open March 5 through July 1, in the front gallery of The GLBT History Museum at 4127 18th St. in San Francisco.

Admission to the exhibition and the reception is included in the price of museum tickets: $5.00 (general); $3.00 (California students with ID); free for members. The museum is open Monday and Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.; closed Tuesday.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.

TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!