NOT OVER:
To mark the 20th anniversary of the creation of the Red Ribbon by the Visual AIDS Artists' Caucus, we've commissioned four artists, A.K. Burns, John Chaich, Joe De Hoyos, and Avram Finkelstein to design NOT OVER buttons, as a reminder that after 30 years, AIDS is NOT OVER. Beginning on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011 10,000 NOT OVER buttons and red ribbons will be distributed across New York City and beyond.

In the tradition of the original Ribbon Bees, various groups and volunteers will come together to assemble NOT OVER buttons with ribbons. Click here for more information on how to host a Ribbon Bee or contact Visual AIDS at info@visualAIDS.org. Available while supplies last.

History:
In 1991, a group of artists came together to create a meaningful symbol at the height of the AIDS crisis. These artists were a part of the Visual AIDS Artists' Caucus and what they created was titled, "The Ribbon Project," better know today, simply as the Red Ribbon.

Through a series of meetings in April and May of 1991, and using the yellow ribbons as inspiration, the Red Ribbon was decided upon as an icon to show support and compassion for those with AIDS and their caregivers. The color red was chosen for its "connection to blood and the idea of passion -- not only anger, but love, like a valentine." The ribbon format was selected in part because it was easy to recreate and wear. The original instructions were to "cut the red ribbon in 6" length, then fold at the top into an inverted 'V" shape. Use a safety pin to attach to clothing." Red ribbons were often created during "ribbon bees," gatherings of friends and supporters fashioning ribbons and pins to be passed out at local and high-profile events.

Visual AIDS partnered with Broadway Cares and Equity Fights AIDS in June 1991 to adorn guests and presenters at the 45th annual Tony Awards. The Tony Awards were chosen as a way to communicate the extent that this epidemic was affecting members of their own community -- artists and performers. One of the first presenters to wear the iconic symbol was Jeremy Irons. The red ribbon quickly became renowned as an international symbol of AIDS awareness, and has been worn at the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys; celebrities, musicians, athletes, artists and politicians have worn the ribbon on talk shows, TV programs, movies, political conventions, sporting events and music videos.

Copyright:
The ribbon has never been copyrighted in the United States, to allow it to be worn and used widely as a symbol in the fight against AIDS. In creating the Ribbon Project, the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus believed it was important to:

1. Remain anonymous as individuals and to credit the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus as a whole in the creation of the Red Ribbon Project, and not to list any individual as the "creator" of the Red Ribbon Project.
2. Keep the image copyright free, so that no individual or organization would profit from the use of the red ribbon.
3. Use the Red Ribbon as a consciousness-raising symbol, not as a commercial or trademark tool.

Recognition:
The Red Ribbon was the first "awareness" ribbon, later followed by many other colors and causes. The Red Ribbon has been used by many AIDS service organizations for its universal recognition and has been written about in several publications and articles. In 1993 a 29¢ red ribbon stamp was issued by the United States Post Office. The Red Ribbon was honored by the CFDA in 1992 for its design and iconic power. In 1997, the Red Ribbon was included in the exhibition "Design for Life" at Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, and is also included in the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art and featured in the exhibition "Humble Masterpieces."

Articles

How a red ribbon conquered the world; Tom Geoghegan BBC News, Washington DC, June 2, 2011

Why a red ribbon means AIDS, BBC News, November 7, 2003

Ribbon Culture: Charity, Compassion, and Public Awareness; Sarah E. H. Moore, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008

The most powerful icon of the '90s?; Rick Fleury, Brandweek, Nov 30, 1992

The Year of the Ribbon, New York Times, May 3, 1992

Downloads

1991 -- Original Ribbon Project	2011 -- NOT OVER!

NOT OVER -- Artists Bios & Statements

A.K. Burns is an interdisciplinary artist who lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Burns uses sculpture, video, collage and social performances to penetrate the perverse transactions of sexuality, power and language. Burns is a founding member of W.A.G.E. (Working Artists and the Greater Economy), and co-editor of RANDY, an annual trans-feminist arts magazine. Burns has shown and screened works internationally, including the Tate Modern, London; Hessel Museum of Art, NY; Taxter & Spengemann, NY; Horton Gallery, Berlin and Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, CA. She received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA from Bard College, Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts. akburns.net

In creating the artwork for the Visual AIDS' NOT OVER campaign I revisited General Idea's 'AIDS' logo from the mid-80's that was an apt update of Robert Indians 'LOVE', during the peak of the AIDS crisis. At the time this placed a visual relationship between 'LOVE' and 'AIDS' into the cultural psyche, that was much needed as a reminder to the mainstream that they were not outside this crisis. Love is something we can all relate to and AIDS is about how we love each other. Today, while the epidemic is no longer the crisis it once was in the US, AIDS is still not over! In particular, world wide, it continues to rage at epidemic proportions. Taking heed of the 'imagevirus' concept sparked by General Idea's AIDS project, I am spreading it! In reusing this vocabulary I aim to bring AIDS awareness into the present day. -- A.K. Burns

John Chaich has designed a range of multi-arts projects to raise AIDS awareness, from an educational theatre project funded with support from Do Something and LifeBeat, to a nationally distributed edutainment zine by and for young adults, to social marketing campaigns recognized by Print magazine and helping design Visual AIDS annual artist edition broadsides. Most recently, he curated the critically acclaimed exhibition Mixed Messages: A(I)DS, Art, + Words for Visual AIDS at LaMaMa La Galleria. He has presented at national conferences on AIDS and the arts and written on visual responses to HIV/AIDS for Art & Understanding magazine, as well as contributed to BUST magazine and the anthology, Body Outlaws: Rewriting the Rules of Beauty and Body Image. Chaich holds an MFA in Communications Design from Pratt Institute. johnchaich.com

As a communications designer, I have always been drawn to the power of a symbol to communicate. Early in the AIDS epidemic, the red ribbon spoke without using words at a time when awareness and compassion felt invisible. Decades later, it's interesting that we are adding the words "Not Over" to reeducate and reengage audiences in the potential of the red ribbon at a time when its presence has become nearly invisible. I chose the brisk, neutrality of Helvetica to directly speak without distracting from the ribbon itself. I hope my design engages, and I am honored to be included among these respected artists on this project. -- John Chaich

Joe De Hoyos is a collage artist based in Los Angeles. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Australia, Holland, Italy, San Francisco, Boston and New York. His work has also been reviewed in Art in America, Village Voice, New York Times, Art & Understanding, New York Blade, POZ magazine, and HIVplus. He is an artist member at Visual AIDS.

Living with HIV / AIDS has forced me to live my life in fragments and pieces. I make the most of my life in the moments I am well enough and able to enjoy it. And when I'm not I have to sit on the sidelines and wait for another turn. The design of this badge represents my state of being. It is made up of a collection of moments that are strung together to tell a cautionary tale. -- Joe De Hoyos

Avram Finkelstein is an artist and writer living in New York, a founding member of the political collective that produced the Silence=Death image, and a member of the art collective, Gran Fury. Finkelstein has worked on public projects for The Whitney, The New Museum, UNODC, AmFAR and The Public Art Fund. He is a contributing writer for Artwrit, has been featured in ArtForum, The New York Times, and Interview, has shown at The Cooper Hewitt, Exit Art, Sue Scott Gallery and Monya Rowe Gallery, and is in the permanent collection of The New Museum and the MoMA and Smithsonian archives. Finkelstein has spoken about art and the public sphere at Harvard, Fordham, RISD, MassArt, CUNY, SVA and NYU.

The last argument I remember having with my father was about whether the American government could be pressured to respond to the AIDS crisis. "It doesn't matter," I told him. "There are only two choices: do nothing, and people will continue to die, or try something, and if it doesn't work, try something else." And that is what I did.

This project for Visual AIDS, Spell, is an incantation based on Patti Smith's reading of Ginsberg's Footnote to Howl, and is part of a series of studies for a permanent AIDS memorial, The People's Fountain. Since Visual AIDS has never forgotten the core truth about AIDS, that every action we take has meaning, I was honored to contribute to NOT OVER. -- Avram Finkelstein