AIDS, art and
the street

A pedestrian-only Ste-Catherine E. hosts the
second edition of the Festival International
Montréal en Arts’s ARTSIDA exhibit

DECORATIVE, DEMOCRATIZED ART: (clockwise from top left) Kris Knight’s “Waiting to Tell You About Florida,” Frank Malafonte’s “Disaffected” and Lukia Costello’s “Drawing Back the Curtain”

by ELISABETH FAURE

For the second year in a row, a local non-profit is using art to raise funds and HIV/AIDS awareness. AIDS Community Care Montreal (ACCM) will once again be taking part in the Festival International Montréal en Arts (FIMA), a huge, open-air exhibition that takes place in the heart of the Gay Village, featuring art from both local and international artists. Entitled ARTSIDA (formerly Projet HOPE), the exhibit is part of Art Against AIDS, a collaboration between FIMA and ACCM,

“They (FIMA) approached us,” says Alex Wysocki-Najar, ACCM’s fundraising co-ordinator. “They wanted to get more involved with the community, and HIV/AIDS was a cause that they thought was really important and needed support.”

“For us, it was a perfect match,” says Samantha Saroufim, communications assistant at FIMA, adding that ACCM stood out from many other groups that deal with HIV/AIDS. “One of the main reasons why we chose ACCM is that they offer complete services and support to families touched by AIDS.”

ACCM was excited by the proposal. “We feel that artists have been a part of the HIV/AIDS movement for the past 25 years, and artists were among the first responders to the HIV/AIDS crisis,” says Wysocki-Najar. “The relationship between artists and the HIV/AIDS community is natural.”

The ACCM kiosk will be one of many lining Ste-Catherine E. during the 11-day art festival. From July 1–11, the street will be closed between Papineau and St-Hubert to give the art maximum exposure to passersby.

“FIMA takes an amazing initiative to promote art and democratize art,” says Wysocki-Najar. He notes that sometimes “people are intimidated by a gallery setting. By taking art out of the gallery and bringing it to the streets, you open it up to everyone.”

If last year is any indication, turnout should be big. “Everyone had an amazing experience,” says Wysocki-Najar. This year, ARTSIDA has an expanded run—instead of one day, their kiosk is open July 5, 6 and 7, from 1–10 p.m.

This isn’t the only arts event on the ACCM calendar—the organization holds a much larger art auction every spring. “There were so many generous artists who gave us amazing works,” says Wysocki-Najar. The amount of art available was too large to fit into the spring auction—hence the FIMA exhibition. “We decided to put out the kiosk as a sort of gem, a bijou, a summer thank-you to our public,” he says.

Funds raised from sales at the FIMA kiosk and ACCM’s spring auction goes “to all of our support services and our education and prevention services,” says Wysocki-Najar. That includes a buyer’s club food collective, a community kitchen, anti-sero-phobia campaigns and support groups.

ACCM’s mission is to constantly try to adapt its services to the changing needs of Montreal’s HIV/AIDS community. In a province where it’s estimated that one person a day gets infected with HIV, it’s a big challenge.

Wysocki-Najar says he is troubled by the rising rates of HIV infection, but that the solution isn’t necessarily more condom ads. “There is something not clicking in our cultural mindset. People now think living with HIV is easy. While treatments have made it a chronic illness, there is nothing easy for individuals living with HIV,” he says.

“Artists are really happy with the experience, and the people that buy art get to be a part of a good cause, and take home something beautiful.” And the outdoor element helps. “It’s cliché, but there is something special about a Montreal summer.”