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Palm Springs, CA United States |
Downtoiwn Park | Palm Springs AIDS Memorial |
since 1 December 2025 without names |
Community voices heard during town hall focused on Palm Springs AIDS Memorial sculpture redesign
Over the past months, a task force held listening sessions with about 20 attendees each. The sculpture’s artist participated in the meetings, saying that the shared stories and memories provided him with a wealth of ideas.
During a town hall listening session hosted by the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force at Temple Isaiah Wednesday evening, community members gathered to share their complex thoughts and feelings about the future memorial amid its redesign.
The memorial’s design, which has been in the works for nearly 10 years and funded by the non-profit task force, was unveiled for the first time in June 2021. However, some community members only became aware of it last fall, and many were offended by the design, saying it felt disrespectful and evoked rude connotations.
The original design, by artist Phillip K. Smith III, was a nine-foot-tall circular limestone sculpture with an empty hole in the middle. Soon after the outcry over the original design boiled over, the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force promised to redesign the memorial and open the process up for more public input.
Over the past several months, the task force has hosted five other listening sessions in more intimate settings, each attended by around 20 people. The artist, Smith, participated in the meetings and said the conversations, stories, and memories shared with him gave him a wealth of ideas. “It has felt like such a creative and beautiful process,” he said. “It’s been intensely emotional; I feel like I’m armed with the information I need.”
Attendees of Wednesday night’s town hall, some of whom had gone to earlier meetings, said they finally felt heard in the process. “The artist was listening intently; he thanked us for giving him ideas that were already turning over in his mind,” said one attendee.
Ellen Goodman, director of the Palm Springs Unified School District Foundation, moderated the town hall conversation and told attendees to share their emotions and feelings to guide the artistic process rather than give specific thoughts on what the memorial should look like. “The design will not be done by committee,” she said. “But the task force is capturing everyone’s feelings and experiences, and that will be translated back into the piece of work.”
Of the roughly 30 attendees, about half spoke up and shared memories of loved ones they had lost; others brought up the feelings that they wanted to be evoked by the art. One of the common themes for attendees was that they hoped that whatever form the memorial took would give a sense of scale to the tragedy and human loss and that it would treat the subject with dignity and respect.
When reflecting on how to make the memorial unique and reflective of Palm Springs, one speaker said that the city has the highest prevalence of HIV+ gay men over the age of 50. “People living with HIV and AIDS came here to die,” he said, calling the city a beacon to other survivors. “Someone like me, I’ve been positive for 40 years, but I came here because I know there’s good care and that you’re surrounded by a community.”
Though some attendees brought up other specific memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, or the AIDS Memorial Quilt, others wanted the design left up to the artist. “A memorial can’t be all things to all people,” said one attendee. “There’s a lot of feelings involved so that makes it extremely difficult, but less is more.”
The task force’s next step is digesting the notes from each of the listening sessions. After that, Smith will begin the design process and produce a new design within two to three months. Eventually, the task force will restart the process of getting designs approved by different city departments and commissions, including the Public Arts Commission. The task force is close to raising $500,000 for the project, which will pay for the memorial and then be donated to the city.
Some attendees were worried that with the listening sessions concluding, there would be no more public input, but they were assured that all throughout the process, there would be more opportunities for feedback. “One of the real complaints that came out [last year] was that people felt like they weren’t being heard,” said Smith. “Now, the intent is to let the community be part of the creative process and the next iteration.”
Photo collage © The Palm Springs Post
20 March 2024
Kendall Balchan, Palm Springs
Over the past months, a task force held listening sessions with about 20 attendees each. The sculpture’s artist participated in the meetings, saying that the shared stories and memories provided him with a wealth of ideas.
During a town hall listening session hosted by the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force at Temple Isaiah Wednesday evening, community members gathered to share their complex thoughts and feelings about the future memorial amid its redesign.
The memorial’s design, which has been in the works for nearly 10 years and funded by the non-profit task force, was unveiled for the first time in June 2021. However, some community members only became aware of it last fall, and many were offended by the design, saying it felt disrespectful and evoked rude connotations.
The original design, by artist Phillip K. Smith III, was a nine-foot-tall circular limestone sculpture with an empty hole in the middle. Soon after the outcry over the original design boiled over, the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force promised to redesign the memorial and open the process up for more public input.
Over the past several months, the task force has hosted five other listening sessions in more intimate settings, each attended by around 20 people. The artist, Smith, participated in the meetings and said the conversations, stories, and memories shared with him gave him a wealth of ideas. “It has felt like such a creative and beautiful process,” he said. “It’s been intensely emotional; I feel like I’m armed with the information I need.”
Attendees of Wednesday night’s town hall, some of whom had gone to earlier meetings, said they finally felt heard in the process. “The artist was listening intently; he thanked us for giving him ideas that were already turning over in his mind,” said one attendee.
Ellen Goodman, director of the Palm Springs Unified School District Foundation, moderated the town hall conversation and told attendees to share their emotions and feelings to guide the artistic process rather than give specific thoughts on what the memorial should look like. “The design will not be done by committee,” she said. “But the task force is capturing everyone’s feelings and experiences, and that will be translated back into the piece of work.”
Of the roughly 30 attendees, about half spoke up and shared memories of loved ones they had lost; others brought up the feelings that they wanted to be evoked by the art. One of the common themes for attendees was that they hoped that whatever form the memorial took would give a sense of scale to the tragedy and human loss and that it would treat the subject with dignity and respect.
When reflecting on how to make the memorial unique and reflective of Palm Springs, one speaker said that the city has the highest prevalence of HIV+ gay men over the age of 50. “People living with HIV and AIDS came here to die,” he said, calling the city a beacon to other survivors. “Someone like me, I’ve been positive for 40 years, but I came here because I know there’s good care and that you’re surrounded by a community.”
Though some attendees brought up other specific memorials, like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame, or the AIDS Memorial Quilt, others wanted the design left up to the artist. “A memorial can’t be all things to all people,” said one attendee. “There’s a lot of feelings involved so that makes it extremely difficult, but less is more.”
The task force’s next step is digesting the notes from each of the listening sessions. After that, Smith will begin the design process and produce a new design within two to three months. Eventually, the task force will restart the process of getting designs approved by different city departments and commissions, including the Public Arts Commission. The task force is close to raising $500,000 for the project, which will pay for the memorial and then be donated to the city.
Some attendees were worried that with the listening sessions concluding, there would be no more public input, but they were assured that all throughout the process, there would be more opportunities for feedback. “One of the real complaints that came out [last year] was that people felt like they weren’t being heard,” said Smith. “Now, the intent is to let the community be part of the creative process and the next iteration.”
Photo collage © The Palm Springs Post
20 March 2024
Kendall Balchan, Palm Springs
