“He never asked me if I had any sexually transmitted diseases,” Ben McCoy whispered to his audience as he gyrated on the polished wooden floor below theological paintings in a small annex of the Museum of Fine Arts.
McCoy and other students from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts interpreted the meaning of World AIDS Day through their art on Friday. Along with John Corso, the curator and a graduate student at the school, 20 artists from the college observed the day through performances or works in video, sound and text.
Corso began work on the project last summer in an effort to expand the previous year’s small outdoor performance at the MFA. He invited students, faculty and staff at the school to perform from their hearts, meaning he wanted them to create a piece that showed what HIV and AIDS mean to them.
“The art community has a particular concern because we’ve lost some art idols to the disease,” Corso said.
An AIDS ribbon made of red balloons decorated the front lawn of the school. Inside, the artists, including Corso, displayed their works.
Corso suspended himself between chairs in the Koch Gallery, struggling to keep himself from falling to the floor as his best friend dropped ink onto his white shirt and pants.
“Ink fades,” he said. “I hope that we can look back at this after medical advancements and see how HIV is fading.”
Meg Rotzel, an SMFA staff member, dropped 50 handkerchiefs printed with text about loss as she walked throughout the museum.
Student Dillon Paul, dragged a cart deliberately through the West Wing Lobby filled with bottles and jars.
Meanwhile “Wide Time: An HIV Odyssey”, a film by Mimi Pleven-Foust, played in the Remis Auditorium. The theme of the film, which told the stories of long-term HIV survivors, was based on a Mexican proverb that says life may not always be long, but it can be wide.
Corso said he hoped the project would raise awareness.
“Whether by talking honestly to our children and friends, taking responsibility in our own lives, or donating to a local organization, we can each make a significant difference,” Corso said.
The Museum of Fine Arts has participated in World AIDS Day every year since 1990. The Dec. 1 holiday was initiated in 1988 after health ministers from across the globe met to increase discussion about HIV/AIDS and to promote tolerance for those afflicted by the disease.
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