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New York City, NY United States |
West 12th Street & Greenwich Ave. | New York City AIDS Memorial at St. Vincent’s Triangle |
since 1 December 2016 without names |
New York City unveils AIDS Memorial to 'honour those we've lost'
It’s been more than five years in the making, with significant planning and development taking place, but now the city finally has its first major public space to honour and remember the AIDS epidemic. The 18-foot white sculpture is situated at West 12th and Greenwich Avenue, and stands in the shadow of former St. Vincent’s Hospital, which held the largest AIDS ward in the country at a time when many wouldn’t treat those with the disease.
A statement said: “The Memorial project was launched in 2011 to recognise and preserve the history of the AIDS crisis through the creation of a memorial to honor New York City’s 100,000+ men, women and children who have died from AIDS, and to commemorate and celebrate the efforts of the caregivers and activists who responded heroically to the crisis.”
The memorial, which includes a quote from Walt Whitman’s poem Song Of Myself, was unveiled on World AIDS Day, with city officials including Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Councilman Corey Johnson – who is HIV-positive – in attendance. The unveiling was also honoured with a performance by The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “The new AIDS Memorial is a tremendous tribute that serves as a painful reminder of all the lives we have lost to this horrible disease and as inspiration to keep fighting to end the AIDS epidemic once and for all.
Photo (c) Daniel Megarry gaytimes
2 December 2016
Daniel Megarry, New York City
It’s been more than five years in the making, with significant planning and development taking place, but now the city finally has its first major public space to honour and remember the AIDS epidemic. The 18-foot white sculpture is situated at West 12th and Greenwich Avenue, and stands in the shadow of former St. Vincent’s Hospital, which held the largest AIDS ward in the country at a time when many wouldn’t treat those with the disease.
A statement said: “The Memorial project was launched in 2011 to recognise and preserve the history of the AIDS crisis through the creation of a memorial to honor New York City’s 100,000+ men, women and children who have died from AIDS, and to commemorate and celebrate the efforts of the caregivers and activists who responded heroically to the crisis.”
The memorial, which includes a quote from Walt Whitman’s poem Song Of Myself, was unveiled on World AIDS Day, with city officials including Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Councilman Corey Johnson – who is HIV-positive – in attendance. The unveiling was also honoured with a performance by The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus. Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “The new AIDS Memorial is a tremendous tribute that serves as a painful reminder of all the lives we have lost to this horrible disease and as inspiration to keep fighting to end the AIDS epidemic once and for all.
Photo (c) Daniel Megarry gaytimes
2 December 2016
Daniel Megarry, New York City
