Baylor Campus to Commemorate World AIDS Day Dec. 1

Baylor University's Martin Museum of Art, in collaboration with approximately 8,000 other museums, colleges/universities, high schools and AIDS organizations, will recognize World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1, by presenting A Day Without Art. On that day, the artwork of the museum's current exhibiting artists, Victoria Star Varner and Jiyoung Chung, will be draped in black cloth and ribbon in remembrance of those artists who have died from or are now living with HIV/AIDS.
Baylor students and faculty from the Baylor School of Social Work and students from the Student Global AIDS Campaign (SGAC) will be in the museum from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to answer AIDS-related questions and provide educational information and resources for students and visitors.
A Day Without Art is a national day of remembrance and education in response to the AIDS crisis and is designed to highlight the proactive programming of art projects by artists living with HIV/AIDS and projects taking place across the United States.
Additionally, World Vision, the largest international Christian humanitarian relief organization, will present Lives Are at Stake on Friday on Fountain Mall. Lives Are at Stake is a powerful visual reminder of the 15 million children who have been orphaned by AIDS.
Photographs of children affected by the pandemic will be placed on stakes around Fountain Mall. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take a photograph and carry it with them throughout the day, learning about the impact of the disease and contemplating how they can take action to turn the tide against the pandemic that touches many families and vulnerable children throughout the world.
Also on Friday, the Baylor chapter of the SGAC is encouraging the entire Baylor community to wear black as a symbol of grief. This symbolic act demonstrates collective mourning for the 8,000 people who die daily around the world from HIV/AIDS.
This is the third annual awareness event organized for World AIDS Day by the Baylor chapter of SGAC.
The Martin Museum of Art is located in the Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center on the Baylor campus. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday. The museum is closed during university holidays. Admission is free and all events are open to the public, unless specified. For more information call 710-1867 or visit the museum website at www.baylor.edu/martinmuseum.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org.
For more information on World AIDS Day, A Day Without Art or Lives Are at Stake, contact Karin Gilliam, director of the Martin Museum, at 710-6390; Dr. Jon Singletary, assistant professor of social work, at 710-4819; or SGAC members Carly Klassen at (956) 821-4779 or Alan Kramer at (830) 456-4795