On December 1, World Aids Day, 25 members of Catawba College's Blue Masque Theatre Club will don black shirts and remembrance signage to commemorate A Day Without Art. These students are participants in a larger effort in Rowan County to commemorate the day.
"Members of the club are excited to participate in this event," noted Erin B. Dougherty, assistant professor of theatre arts and costume designer at Catawba College. "We wanted to do something visible. Many of our artworks are in more remote areas on campus, so we decided to shroud our artists. We hope to heighten awareness of this day and this ongoing disease that has not yet been cured."
The Rowan County AIDS Task Force has borrowed an idea pioneered in some of the United States' major cities. To commemorate the deaths of hundreds of artists, designers and entertainers who died of AIDS, these cities each year have shrouded art works in prominent museums and galleries as a memorial to the lives lost to the disease and as a tribute to those living with AIDS/HIV.
In Rowan County, art objects included in the 2010 Salisbury Sculpture Show will be shrouded in black cloth on November 30 and unshrouded on December 2. A large bear sculpture on the quadrangle at Livingstone College, Catawba's sister institution in Salisbury, will also be shrouded as part of the effort.
In addition to the City of Salisbury and Catawba and Livingstone Colleges, other Rowan County businesses and organizations participating in A Day Without Art include Critters, Pottery 101, A Step in Time, Southern Spirit Gallery, Cut Up and dye, Fine Frame Gallery and Waterworks.
In Rowan County, there are 101 people receiving case management services for HIV/AIDS. As of December 31, 2009, 215 people have tested positive for AIDS or HIV. The mission of the Rowan County AIDS Task Force is to provide services that improve the lives of individuals and families infected and affected by HIV/AIDS.
For more information about AIDS, the Rowan County AIDS Task Force or A Day Without Art, contact Dr. Gordon Senter, president of the Rowan County AIDS Task Force, at (704) 639-9580.
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