ARTIST STATEMENT
Two significant experiences left a profound mark on my life during my time in New York City: the tragic events of 9/11 and the devastating HIV/AIDS
epidemic. My involvement in AIDS photography began in 1988, amidst the turmoil and fear surrounding the crisis. I can still recall the moment in
1981, sitting in my upper Westside apartment, reading a chilling headline in the New York Native: "RARE CANCER SEEN IN 41 HOMOSEXUALS,"
later labeled as "Gay Cancer." Over the following decades, I lost numerous cherished friends, whom I considered family, and partners to this
disease. I navigated the labyrinth of healthcare alongside my business partner in an era where discrimination and fear pervaded the medical
community's response to HIV. Witnessing firsthand the struggles and stigma endured by those I loved and the LGBTQ community left me numb
and fearful. Through my camera lens, I found solace, expressing my sorrow, grief, and rage at the bigotry and hatred spawned by HIV/AIDS.
As media coverage began spotlighting children affected by HIV/AIDS, whether through blood transfusions or transmission from birth, memories of
my early years as an elementary school teacher flooded back. Knowing Steven Lofton from my time in Southern California, I learned he had become
a nurse caring for infants born with HIV/AIDS. Upon hearing this, I approached Steven, asking if I could document his journey with a photo essay.
He graciously accepted, and I traveled to Miami to capture the story of him, his partner Roger, and their newfound family.
Now, over three decades later, the narrative of this American family's resilience is nothing short of extraordinary. I am driven to publish
"Generation Generation HIV", incorporating material from "Ginger’s Book: An AIDS Primer" alongside updated photographs. My aspiration is for
this publication to serve as a historical testament, showcasing how two gay men forged a family amidst the ravages of the AIDS epidemic.
Through these images, their humanity and love for the children they raised shine brightly, surpassing the homophobic barriers they
challenged in the courts.
CV
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Arts, English, California State University Fullerton
Masters Degree in Teaching, University of California Irvine
Studies in Photography, International Center of Photography, New York, New York
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Raising Generation HIV
(formerly An American Family: An AIDS Legacy)
- West Charleston Library
(Las Vegas-Clark County Library District)
Las Vegas, NV
- MBM Gallery, NY, NY
- The State University of New York
Stonybrook Art Gallery
Stonybrook, NY
- Manhattan Community College
Chamber Street Gallery
NY, NY
- Alfred Lowenhertz Gallery
Camera Club of New York
NY, NY
- World AIDS Day
School of Education, Health, & Nursing
New York University Commons Gallery
NY, NY
Times Square: Icons and Ilusions
- MBM Gallery, NY, NY
- Stonewall Bar, NY, NY
Our Community is on Edge, Convent Avenue Baptist Church Gallery, Harlem, NY
An American Family: An AIDS Legacy
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Public Art, Intervention, & Performance in Lower Manhattan from 1978-1993, The Arts Center At Governors Island, NY, NY
Perspectives on HIV and Women, Visual Arts Gallery, University of Alabama
Connecting Lives: Documents from the AIDS Crisis, curated by Nan Goldin and Allen Frame
- P.S. 122, NY, NY
- Christ Episcopal Church Gallery, Greenwich, CT
Me, Myself and I, La Mama Galleria, NY.NY
Mirrored Differences: Hispanic Portraits, Merill-Lynch Photography Gallery, NY, NY
AIDS in Society, Art Squad Fine Art, Easton, PA
Out Art: From Desire: A Queer Diary, St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
The Member's Exhibition at the Camera Club of London, London, United Kingdom
Home is Where the Heart Is, White Columns, NY, NY
The Electric Blanket (co-created by Allen Frame, Frank Franca, and Nan Goldin)
- Cooper Union Square, NY, NY
- War Memorial Park, Brooklyn, NY, NY
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
- Merlin Theatre, Budapest, Hungary
- Toldi Cinema, Budapest, Hungary
- Kunstverin Contmporary Museum, Frankfurt, Germany
- International AIDS Conference, Tokyo, Japan
- International AIDS Conference, Geneva, Switzerland
- Gallery 76, Ontario College of Art, Toronto, Canada
The Electric Blanket featured in (Counter) Public Art, Intervention & Performance in Lower Manhattan From 1978-1993. The Arts Center at Governors Island, NY, NY
Death, Dying and Mourning, Ceres Gallery, NY, NY
From Media to Metaphor: Art About AIDS
- Grey Art Gallery, NY, NY
- Bass Museum of Art, Miami Beach, FL.
The Gay and Lesbian Photo Annual (1991-2001), Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, NY, NY
The Center Photo Annual, Las Vegas, NV
SELECTED PUBLISHED
Ginger's Book: An AIDS Primer, Into the Light Press
The Passionate Camera: Bodies of Desire, Routledge Press, London
Dishonorable Passions, Viking Press, NY, NY
The Right to Be Parents, NYU Press, NY, NY
VIDEO
Dances for the Dying, Tele-Pictures, Warsaw, Poland
Under Lock and Key, produced by Beth B
- International Center of Photography, NY, NY
- Wexner Center for the Arts, University of Ohio, Columbus, Ohio
- Santa Monica Museum of Art, Santa Monica, CA
For Tracy, Youtube Video
AWARDS/GRANTS
Merrill-Lynch Photography Grant
Women With AIDS Photography Award by World AIDS Conference, Geneva, Switzerland
The Center, Photography Award, Las Vegas, NV