University of South Carolina Unveils AIDS Sculpture

Midlands arts community leaders joined University of South Carolina officials on Monday to unveil a sculpture dedicated to AIDS awareness. The new statue stands on the Greene Street side of USC's Koger Center for the Arts. Norma Palms, wife of former USC President John Palms, called it a fitting location for the sculpture. "We've lost so many young artists that have performed here to AIDS, so this can be a nice remembrance," she said. The Cultural Council of Richland and Lexington Counties commissioned the $21,000 bronze sculpture of a woman unfurling an AIDS quilt, which was funded by grant from the AIDS Benefit Foundation of South Carolina. Lexington artist Sissy Fierson used a relative as a model and studied photos of AIDS quilts to create the work. Columbia ranks 14th among metro areas nationwide in reports of HIV/AIDS cases. USC President Andrew Sorensen said that the sculpture serves as a reminder for the need of local involvement "here and now" to combat the disease.

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