From June 28th-July 8th, 2012 a group of 12 HIV-positive Washington, D.C. residents will pick up cameras and join a global project that gives photographic voice to people living with HIV in major cities around the world (Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, and Los Angeles). Through Positive Eyes is an arts-based public health project that addresses key themes of the AIDS epidemic: widespread stigma, extreme social inequity, and limited access to lifesaving medication. The project is based on the belief that challenging stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS is the most effective method for combating the epidemic - and that art is a powerful way to do this.
The project lives within communities as a traveling exhibition, and on the web at: www.throughpositiveeyes.org.
Deadline to Apply for Through Positive Eyes:
MIDNIGHT Thursday June 28th, 2012
No Photographic Experience Necessary
To apply to take part in the workshop, send an email to dgere@ucla.edu answering these two questions in approximately 150 words each:
1. We'd love to get to know you. Tell us a little bit about yourself.
2. What interests you about Through Positive Eyes and why do you want to take part?
What you'll contribute:
1. Your story, to fight HIV stigma in Washington, DC and around the world.
2. Compelling photographic images from your life.
3. A commitment to participate in HIV advocacy.
What you'll receive:
1. Panasonic Lumix digital camera
2. $200 honorarium to cover travel costs
3. A portrait of yourself, taken by photographer and project co-director Gideon Mendel
4. A CD with all your own photos
Project Dates: June 28 - July 8, 2012
Various Times - MANDATORY Attendance
6/28 - Thursday - Welcome Dinner
6/29 - Friday - Full day photography workshop
6/30 - Saturday - Half day shooting photography on your own, Half day photography workshop
7/1 - 7/4 - Shooting photography on your own, scheduled portrait shoots with Gideon Mendel
7/5 & 7/6 - Half day one-on-one scheduled photo edit and interview sessions
7/7 - Saturday - Full day photography workshop
7/8 - Sunday - 3pm - Exhibition Unveiling Event for family and friends
For more information about Through Positive Eyes, visit the Official Website.
The project is co-directed by London-based South African photographer and AIDS activist Gideon Mendel, who has been chronicling HIV/AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa since 1993, and by the Art and Global Health Center at UCLA.
Through Positive Eyes is supported by a generous grant from The Herb Ritts Foundation.
Additional support for Through Positive Eyes - DC is provided by The Ford Foundation.
