New Orleans AIDS Monument
{{Short description|2008 sculpture in New Orleans}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2021}}
The New Orleans AIDS Monument is a public, outdoor sculpture erected in 2008 on the grounds of Washington Square Park, near the corner of Dauphine St. and Elysian Fields Avenue in the Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans.{{Cite web|title=Washington Square Park {{!}} New Orleans, USA Attractions|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/usa/new-orleans/attractions/washington-square-park/a/poi-sig/1420414/362207|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=Lonely Planet|language=en}}
History
In the late1990s, and led by Susan Wallins Levingston,{{Cite web|title=Susan Levingston Obituary (1946–2019) – The Times-Picayune|url=https://obits.nola.com/amp/obituaries/nola/193508381|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=obits.nola.com|language=en}} funds were raised to commission an international competition to design an outdoor monument to commemorate the victims and families of AIDS. The competition was won by Washington, DC based artist Tim Tate,{{Cite news|last=Miller|first=Nicole M.|date=September 7, 2000|title=ARTS BEAT|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2000/09/07/arts-beat/f47ee4e9-4fe9-48a5-9069-9a07e6bb23c0/|access-date=January 28, 2021|issn=0190-8286}} with a design which has been described as consisting of "a curved steel structure from which the translucent glass faces of 34 men and women emerge."{{Cite web|last=Belonsky|first=Andrew|date=June 5, 2013|title=Faces Glass and Painted|url=http://www.out.com/travel-nightlife/city-guides/new-orleans/2013/06/05/faces-glass-and-painted|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=OUT Magazine|language=en}} The selection committee described the sculpture as:
"Set in historic Washington Square Park, the New Orleans AIDS Memorial will provide a healing sanctuary for family and friends and will promote understanding of the human tragedy of the AIDS epidemic. It (was the) goal for the monument to create a public landscape where anyone who has been touched by AIDS can find comfort and consolation within a dignified and creative community setting.The sculpture's title is "The Guardian Wall", and it is 8-foot-high by 35-foot-wide and the glass components of the sculpture are cast glass depictions of faces and words such as "friend," "lover", and "son." The 34 faces have also been described as guarding "those whose names are engraved into paving stones below, people who have died from AIDS as well as people honoured for their efforts in fighting the disease."{{Cite journal|last=Wolters|first=Jörn|date=2020|title=AIDS Memorials|url=http://journal.sciencemuseum.ac.uk/browse/issue-14/aids-memorials|journal=Science Museum Group Journal|language=en|volume=14|issue=14|doi=10.15180/201403|issn=2054-5770|doi-access=free}}The memorial, made of concentric bronze circles framing inspirational multicultural cast glass faces, will provide a powerful yet comforting reminder of the meaning behind the memorial. Leading up to the memorial, a pathway of granite stones, inscribed with names of loved ones, will allow visitors to reflect on the way this disease has forever transformed our world."{{Cite web|last=Janis|first=Michael|date=2008-12-20|title=New Orleans Aids Memorial|url=http://washingtonglass.blogspot.com/2008/12/new-orleans-aids-memorial.html|access-date=2021-01-29|website=Washington Glass School}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2008-08-01|title=August Newsletter From PFLAG New Orleans|url=http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs056/1102026610763/archive/1102177265443.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-01-29|website=BANNER – PFLAG NEW ORLEANS NEWSLETTER}}
The Tate-designed sculpture was cast and built by New Orleans artist Mitchell Gaudet.{{Cite web|title=LGBT Itinerary - New Orleans|url=https://www.neworleans.com/plan/itineraries/lgbt-itinerary/|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=www.neworleans.com|language=en-us}} The sculpture was unveiled on November 30, 2008.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Tim Tate — Instructor and Co-Director {{!}} U.S. Department of Labor|url=https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/success-stories/tim-tate|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=U.S. Department of Labor}}{{Cite web|date=November 30, 2016|title=Where to go on World AIDS Day in New Orleans|url=https://gonola.com/lgbt-new-orleans/nola-world-aids-day|access-date=January 29, 2021|website=GoNOLA.com|language=en-US}}
Use
Since its unveiling in 2008, the sculpture has become a central focus point for multiple LGBT and AIDS celebrations, commemorations, and tourism.{{Cite web|title=LGBT Itinerary – New Orleans|url=https://www.neworleans.com/plan/itineraries/lgbt-itinerary/|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=www.neworleans.com|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=Faubourg Marigny: New Orleans, Louisiana|url=https://www.planning.org/greatplaces/neighborhoods/2009/faubourgmarigny.htm|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=American Planning Association}} Each year on World AIDS Day, the City of New Orleans hosts a wreath laying ceremony at the site of the monument.{{Cite web|title=Wreath Laying Ceremony|url=https://www.nola.gov/health-department/ryan-white-hiv-aids-program/wreath-laying-ceremony/|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=January 28, 2021|website=City of New Orleans – Health Department}}
References
External links
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWUojR6Wh94 Video of the New Orleans AIDS Monument]
Category:Sculptures in Louisiana
Category:Public art in Louisiana