On the eve of World AIDS Day, Thomas Sokolowski, director of Rutgers University–New Brunswick’s Zimmerli Art Museum, reflects on his work during the 1980s as a pioneer in activism through art that challenged the world to fight the deadly epidemic.
Sokolowski and a small group of friends founded the art activist organization Visual AIDS, organized the first Day Without Art in 1989, and made the red ribbon an icon of awareness.
That work will continue on December 5, when the Zimmerli joins Rutgers Global, Rutgers Global Health Institute, and other university partners to commemorate this year’s World AIDS Day and a Day Without Art with a screening of BPM (Beats Per Minute), a French film about members of ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) and their activism in 1980s Paris.
Sokolowski reflects on his work during the pivotal years of the AIDS epidemic and the need for continued activism today. Read the interview in Rutgers Today.