An exhibition on display now at UBC Library’s Music, Art and Architecture (MAA) Library will soon be making a move to the University of Toronto (UofT) Libraries. Activism in the Arts: I’ve Got U Under My Skin: AIDS & Classical Music is curated by Kevin Madill, Music Librarian at the MAA Library, to explore a moment of activism in the musical arts propelled by the early years of the AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) epidemic. While still in the preliminary stages of planning, the exhibition is slated to be shown at UofT Libraries in the fall.
The exhibition in the Level 3 foyer of the MAA Library.
“In May 18, 1981, the gay newspaper New York Native reports the appearance of a perplexing disease in the community. By June 5, 1981, the first five cases of what would be identified as AIDS are clinically reported,” says Madill. “Through the 1980s, cases surge. Because of government silence and the absence of effective treatment, artists and activists organize. What emerges is not only a strong and powerful political advocacy for health support but also a cultural moment in which music addresses fear, anger, frustration, defiance, longing, and loss.”
When the exhibition launched in September 2022, Madill was especially appreciative of the promotional support for the exhibition he received from PAN (Pacific AIDS Network), which works collaboratively with member organizations and individuals to provide a community-based response to HIV, hepatitis C, and harm reduction: “I contacted PAN very early on about the exhibition and they were very interested in making evident the exhibition across a range of provincial medical organizations focused on HIV.”
As the exhibition continued to draw attention from other institutions online, Madill was invited to write a paper for publication in the peer-reviewed open-access journal, Imaginations: Journal of Cross-Cultural Image Studies.
String Quartet: An AIDS Activist’s Memoir (L. Chan, personal correspondence, May 31, 2022).
The exhibition includes selections such as “All the Rage” (1993) by Bob Ostertag, an experimental album written in response to California governor Pete Wilson’s 1991 veto of pro-gay legislation; “Positive Women: Susan” (1997) for narrator, female chorus, and violin by Janika Vandervelde; and choral compositions from a 1991 competition in Zomba, Malawi, which focus the theme of AIDS prevention.
Visit the exhibition in the Level 3 foyer of the MAA Library in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, on extended display until February 24, 2023.
This project is part of UBC Library’s strategic direction to engage with communities.
Learn more about our Strategic Framework.
