Visual AIDS, with sponsorship by Roche, is excited to announce an open call project for HIV-positive artists to help raise awareness of CMV retinitis. Selected artists will be included in the Share Your Vision exhibition and catalogue. Artists will also receive a cash prize and a matching donation will be made to an AIDS organization of their choice. A jury of curators, artists, and physicians will select the winning art works. Official guidelines and an application form will be available in mid-March. Application forms will be sent out to all Archive Member artists and will be available online. The Share Your Vision deadline is June 16, 2003.

> top

The Visual AIDS Lightbox Exhibition continues to travel. Lightbox provides greater exposure of the Archive Project and its member artists to a wide range of communities. From January 4 to February 1, 2003, the Lightbox Exhibit was shown at the Gallery of Newark Academy in Livingson, New Jersey. The exhibit also included photographs by Luna Luis Ortiz. Currently the Lightbox Exhibit is on display at The Jersey City Museum through May 27, 2003. There will be an Artist Talk on Sunday, March 23 from 2:00-4:00 pm with Amy Sadao, Executive Director and Visual AIDS artists Derek Jackson and Luna Luis Ortiz. For more information, please visit www.JerseyCityMuseum.org/

> top

Congratulations to Angie Eng and Simon Ransom, the directors of Lifesigns, public art and HIV prevention for youth in rural Ethiopia. Visual AIDS worked with Angie as Lifesigns umbrella sponsor. The teams completed over seven murals in three Ethiopian towns since June 2002. Angie and Simon hope to work with additional youth teams in the Fall of 2003. See more on Lifesigns: www.visualaids.org/lifesigns/

> top

At Your Service

The Visual AIDS office now has a Mac computer station available for Archive Member artists' use. Tekserve recently donated a used computer to Visual AIDS and we upgraded all computers to DSL. You can now quickly search the Internet for artists' opportunities and web resources. You can also scan your slides and/or flat artwork (smaller than 8.5 x 12") and save them to Zip disk. There is also access to MS Word to work on resumes, artist's statements, slide labels and other Word documents that can be easily printed out on a b & w inkjet printer. Other programs available include Adobe Photoshop, Quark Xpress and Illustrator. Call or e-mail us to set up an appointment if you would like to use the computer station: 212.627.9855 or info@visualAIDS.org.

> top

Artists' Materials Grants

Artists' Materials Grants are available twice a year, in June and December. The next Materials Grants Applications for June are due Friday, May 23, 2003.

Emergency Grants

On a limited basis and by individual review year-round, Visual AIDS can provide Emergency Grants when Archive Member artists face unexpected financial strain. The grants are never more than $200, will be paid directly to vendors (not the artist), and can only be granted after other sources have been explored. Please call the office if you need to access this program. We will request you to send a brief written request and documentation of the need (i.e. bills).

> top

Archive Project

In the past several months many curators and students have utilized the Archive Project including:

• Eungie Joo, independent curator
• Franklin Sirmins, independent curator
• Monya Rowe, independent curator
• Magalie Gueren, artist and director, GVAS Gallery
• Rena John, Women's HIV Collaborative of New York
• Keely Macrow, Ph.D candidate, curator, lecturer in Media Arts at RMIT University in Melbourne
• Rebecca Ames, curator, Museum of Sex
• Craig Bunting, curator
• Meredith Pugh, former VP Sciens Worldwide
• Paul Serchia, publications manager, AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA)