Support the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture, local fundraiser March 26
The mission of the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force is to make sure the lives of those lost to HIV and AIDS are never forgotten and that their stories live on into the future.

Last year, the Palm Springs City Council greenlighted a proposal made by the task force to install an AIDS Memorial Sculpture in the downtown park located at Belardo Road and Museum Way. The sculpture will be carved out of limestone by renowned local artist Phillip K. Smith III and will be given as a gift to the city and people of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley and will be maintained by the city.

In addition to its aesthetic impact on the park, the sculpture will provide the opportunity for reflection and remembrance. It will also be used to educate people about HIV prevention, diagnosis and treatment options, which task force member Stuart Kent says they will achieve with the help of a plaque containing a QR code. "Rather than having a bunch of signage, we're keeping it simple and having a QR code that takes users' smartphones to a website, where we can provide all kinds of links to education, treatment options, history and stories of individuals," he says. The website will also include the generous donors that made the sculpture possible.

With the necessary approvals secured, the current goal of the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force is to raise the necessary funds for the sculpture's creation and installation. To help facilitate that, the group has enlisted the efforts of The Development Department Inc., Paul Clowers and Ellen Wolf to lead the project.

Photo © Philip K. Smith III Desert Sun

11 March 2022
Winston Gieseke, Palm Springs