ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS for Visual AIDS' 28th Annual Day With(out) Art

Floor Three, Susan and John Hess Family Theater

ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS is the 28th annual iteration of Visual AIDS’ longstanding Day With(out) Art project. Curated by Erin Christovale and Vivian Crockett for Visual AIDS, the video program prioritizes Black narratives within the ongoing AIDS epidemic, commissioning seven new and innovative short videos from artists Mykki Blanco, Cheryl Dunye & Ellen Spiro, Reina Gossett, Thomas Allen Harris, Kia Labeija, Tiona Nekkia McClodden, and Brontez Purnell.

Premiering at The Whitney Museum of American Art on World AIDS Day, a post-screening discussion will feature artists Reina Gossett, Brontez Purnell and Tiona McClodden in conversation with ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS co-curators Erin Christovale and Vivian Crockett.

In spite of the impact of HIV/AIDS within Black communities, these stories and experiences are constantly excluded from larger artistic and historical narratives. In 2016 African Americans represented 44% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States. Given this context, it is increasingly urgent to feature a myriad of stories that consider and represent the lives of those housed within this statistic. ALTERNATE ENDINGS, RADICAL BEGINNINGS seeks to highlight the voices of those that are marginalized within broader Black communities nationwide, including queer and trans people. 

The commissioned projects include intimate meditations of young HIV positive protagonists; a consideration of community-based HIV/AIDS activism in the South; explorations of the legacies and contemporary resonances within AIDS archives; a poetic journey through New York exploring historical traces of queer and trans life, and more. Together, the videos provide a platform centering voices deeply impacted by the ongoing epidemic.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts and the generous support of The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation. Visual AIDS would also like to thank the artists for the time and resources they have contributed to this project.

This event has now reached capacity. 

The main entrance of the Museum is accessible with elevator access to all floors. All gender restrooms are available on floors -1, 3, 5, and 8. Service animals welcome. The Hess Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is also available. 

If you have questions about accessibility, or requests for accommodations, please email accessfeedback@whitney.org or call (212) 671 1823 (relay calls welcome). Learn more about access services.