• Rise, a new club in Hampton Bays, New York, hosted a benefit for Visual AIDS at its launch on May 27th. The event featured food, music and lots of dancing. A great time was had by all. Visual AIDS would like to thank the Baraka Creative Group for producing the event.

• Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center of New York, "Homecoming" event on May 31st featured the works of Visual AIDS Archive artists (see show listing below). Michael Gonzalez and Nelson Santos curated the show titled Sight of Construction. The theme of construction was chosen to reflect the newly renovated Lesbian and Gay Community Service Center building. This one-night-only show was viewed by hundreds of people at the event and provided great exposure for the artists and the Visual AIDS Archive Project.

• The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh (AAP) Gallery hosted a benefit cocktail party for Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and Visual AIDS on June 15th, concurrent with TRET's exhibit (see member show listings). Christopher Hogan, Executive Director of Visual AIDS, and Thomas Sokolowski, one of the founders of Visual AIDS -- now the Director of the Andy Warhol Museum and a board member of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force, spoke on "Art and AIDS Activism." Thanks to TRET and AAP for their hard work and commitment to this event.

• Fleckenstein Gallery's opening of Lightbox on June 16th, was the central event at "A Taste of Towson." Local restaurants donated food for a street fair and prizes for a silent auction that benefited Visual AIDS. Terrie Fleckenstein did a tremendous job in pulling the event together and getting the community involved.

• 45 Bleecker Theater in New York hosted a benefit concert for Visual AIDS on June 18th in conjunction with the opening of a show of Archive members' work (see show listings below). Thanks to cabaret singer Daniel Isengart for his terrific performance and to Wayne Williams, the producer of the event, for all his hard work that made the night a big success.

Lightbox: A Traveling Exhibition

The Archive Project is gaining exposure through Lightbox: A Traveling Exhibition. Each Archive member is represented in Lightbox with two slides of their work displayed in wall-mounted lightboxes. Earlier this month (June 1-13) there was an exhibit at Recitation Gallery at the University of Delaware. The exhibit moved from there to Fleckenstein Gallery, Townson, Maryland (just outside of Baltimore) where it will remain until the end of the month. These exhibits were very well received and were written up in several local publications including Delaware's Visions Today, the Baltimore City Paper, Baltimore Gay Paper and Mid-Atlantic Gay Life's special Pride issue. Artemis Gallery in Seattle will be displaying Lightbox in conjunction with Jack Shields' show in July (see member show listings for more information). Visual AIDS thanks these venues for hosting Lightbox and the many people who worked very hard on these exhibitions including Archive project members J.D. Talesek, Tim Lonergan and Jack Shields. If you would like to host Lightbox or know of someone who might, please contact Visual AIDS. We would be happy to send out an information package including our new Lightbox brochure.

If you are an Archive Project member on a low income and in need of art supplies, you may apply for an Artists Material Grant. Grants are awarded quarterly and are based on economic need. Priority is given to first-time applicants. In December, Visual AIDS received funding from the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) to support our Material Grants program. We have distributed several grants in these areas, but some CERF funding remains available. These funds are to support work in craft media including basketry, ceramics, enamel, fiber, glass, jewelry, leather, metal, paper, textiles and wood. Grant applications for these materials are strongly encouraged. Simply submit the regular Materials Grant application form noting the craft materials you intend to purchase. The next set of Material Grants will be awarded in September. Please contact us for an application.

Web shows are featured for one month and then are available for viewing in the past exhibition archive: www.thebody.com/visualaids/web_gallery/index.html

The July exhibit, "On Collecting . . .", is curated by Susanna Cole and Erin Donnelly. It features artist members: Barton Lidice Benes, Bob Corti, Garland Eliason-French, Robert Farber, Felis Gonzalez-Torres, Timothy Lonergan, Mark Morisroe, David Nelson, Robert Miles Parker, Michael Ransom, Steed Taylor, William Tisdale, Becky Trotter, Alan Walker, David Wojnarowicz and Martin Wong.

June's web gallery was curated by Carrie Moyer and Sue Schaffner of Dyke Action Machine! (DAM!). It featured the work of artists: Joe DeHoyos, Per Eidepjeld, Arnold Fern, Enrico Fillippi, Robert Flack, Frank Holiday, Mark Morrisroe, Chuck Nanney, Steed Taylor, Alan Walker and Albert Winn.

Future curators include: J.D. Talasek and Michael Hampton, artists and co-coordinators of Lightbox in Baltimore and Delaware; Navah Steiner and Rene Ortiz of Safe Space, New York; and Barbara DeGenevieve, artist and professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Thanks to all the volunteers and photographers who have so generously given their time and support!