World AIDS Day: A Day With(out) Art

In recognition of World AIDS Day, join us at the Des Moines Art Center for A Day With(out) Art — an afternoon of art, film, and music offering space for healing, remembrance, and hope.

The program will begin with a 20-minute performance by the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus, followed by a screening of “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt” (1989). This Academy Award-winning documentary shares the lives and relationships behind panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, revealing the human impact of the epidemic and the power of remembrance to challenge stigma. (Film runtime: 79 minutes)

Three Iowa-connected sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on view in the Art Center’s Macomber Lobby from November 17 through 29. The handmade memorials preserve stories of individuals and communities across Iowa, inviting reflection on lives lost and the people who responded with care, education, and advocacy.

First organized by Visual AIDS in 1989, A Day With(out) Art brings cultural institutions together to remember those lost to AIDS and recognize the ongoing experiences of people living with HIV.

Robert Mapplethorpe (American, 1946 – 1989)

“Two Men Dancing” (detail), 1984

Gelatin silver print

Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of Hudson, New York, 2001.12

Photo: Rich Sanders

Free; no registration required.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

We strive to provide closed captioning for all events and programs offered in Levitt Auditorium. Due to interpreter shortages throughout Iowa, American Sign Language interpretation is only available upon request. ASL and other accommodation requests can be made by emailing jfeatherstone@desmoinesartcenter.org at least two weeks in advance. We will try to accommodate requests with less than a two week notice but cannot guarantee availability.