From the Grand Opening of the New Art for AIDS International Gallery [PHOTOS]

Guests view our new rotating exhibit in the One London Place Mezzanine

Art for AIDS has a new home! Recently, we were proud to officially open our new Head Office and Gallery in One London Place, London Ontario. To celebrate we hosted an open house and welcomed members of the community to pay us a visit and to see some of the stunning artwork produced by young people from around the world in its new setting.

The event was generously sponsored by architects Tillmann Ruth Robinson, Sifton Properties, Moffatt & Powell RONA, the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW), and Andy Spriet. We would also like to thank our food and beverage sponsors, Ponte Wine and Spirits, Steam Whistle Brewing, and Fare Catering for providing food and beverages for the event.

If you weren't able to join us in London for our grand opening, here are a few photographs courtesy of Dave Chidley from the event. For upcoming events, you can also visit our Events and Exhibits page.

Art for AIDS Grand Opening Photos


View more photos from our new Gallery in Art for AIDS International has a New Home.


Event Sponsors

We would like to recognize and thank the following organizations and individuals for their support in sponsoring our Grand Opening celebration.

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Photos courtesy of Dave Chidley


Art for AIDS International has a New Home

A view from the outside of One London Place.

In 2009, Art for AIDS International opened the doors of its first public gallery and Head Office, in the lower level of a Dundas Street building in London, Ontario's downtown core. It was a space that for four years saw many exciting events and exhibits, hosted thousands of members from the local and international community, and held inventory for international exhibits and AIDS awareness campaigns hosted at the Apartheid Museum, UN Agencies like the World Food Programme and IFAD, and countless galleries, universities, colleges, and secondary schools. Most importantly, with our growing team of volunteers, it was the space where we planned workshops that reached over 10,000 young people in 13 countries with important information about health and community involvement.

Since 2009, we've worked to grow our reach, and our team of volunteers has grown with it. While our gallery and office at 242 Dundas Street was for many people home, we decided in late 2012 that it was one we had outgrown; and so the search began. Thankfully, with tremendous support from our board and members of the local community, the search was a short one and by December 2012, we had found and moved into our beautiful, spacious new location, just around the corner, in One London Place.

Today, we're happy to share some of the first photos from our new space with you. We would also like to thank all of our volunteers, our board, and the fantastic staff at One London Place and Sifton for their hard work and support in helping us prepare the space, set it up, and get settled.


New Gallery Photos

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Our new HQ and Gallery is located at One London Place, 255 Queens Ave, Suite 250 in London, Ontario. Please come by to visit. We have public viewing hours from 11 AM - 5 PM Tuesday to Friday, or by appointment.


Art for AIDS International Recognized for Community Innovation [VIDEO]

This past week, Art for AIDS International won the Community Innovation Award at the 2012 Pillar Nonprofit Network Community Innovation Awards.

The award, which was presented at the London Convention Centre in front of over 600 community members, was accepted by Art for AIDS Executive Director, Hendrikus Bervoets.

"On behalf of all of us at Art for AIDS, I am humbled and honoured to receive this recognition" said Bervoets. "Our organization grew out of an initiative aimed at encouraging young people in London to take part in the global response to HIV and AIDS. The passion and enthusiasm that these young people, and the broader London community have shown for our work, however, has been a driving force for us to expand beyond our own backyard and into schools and communities around the world."

In addition to Hendrikus' presence at the event, a number of Art for AIDS Board Members were also in attendance.

"I have been a Board member of Art for AIDS for over 5 years and during this time been extremely impressed with the innovative and collaborative nature of the organization which is aimed at providing education, advocacy and support for those affected by HIV and AIDS throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Hendrikus provides passion and energy in every workshop and encounter he has and helped to elevate the issue of HIV and AIDS throughout our community" said Andrew Chunilall, Director of Finance for the London Community Foundation, and Treasurer of the Board of Directors at Art for AIDS International.

All of us at Art for AIDS are honoured to receive the recognition, and would like to thank Pillar Nonprofit Network and the London community for their ongoing support, and for the enthusiasm they've shown for our work.

You can see all the photos from the Community Innovation Awards on the Pillar Nonprofit Network Facebook page. You can also watch the short video presented by Pillar at the ceremony below:


Art for AIDS International Exhibits at the Apartheid Museum

In 2009, Art for AIDS International was privileged to host a four month exhibit at the landmark Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa. This week, and three years later, we are excited to announce that the Apartheid Museum will be opening a new exhibit, featuring artwork produced during Art for AIDS workshops held throughout South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Canada.

While Art for AIDS workshops seek to educate young people about HIV and AIDS, interconnected themes related to social justice, equality, respect, and responsibility play important roles in our discussion with students, and this is often represented in the artwork they produce. This work, as a result, is a perfect addition to the Apartheid Museum's permanent exhibit which focuses on diverse themes related to democracy, equality, reconciliation, diversity, responsibility, respect and freedom.

The exhibit will run into the new year and all exhibited prints will be available for purchase in the Apartheid Museum gift shop with proceeds supporting local projects benefiting women and children affected by HIV and AIDS. For more information about this exhibit, please contact us.


About the Apartheid Museum

The Apartheid Museum opened in 2001 and is acknowledged as the pre-eminent museum in the world dealing with 20th century South Africa, at the heart of which is the apartheid story.


HIV and Young People [Infographic]

In 2011, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) challenged young people from around the world to collaborate and crowdsource the next global HIV strategy. This past April, we were excited to share that strategy with all of you along with our commitment support tens of thousands of young people in promoting this campaign. Today, to build on that commitment, we wanted to share with you the latest CrowdOutAIDS infographic and encourage all of you in turn to share this important information with others.

Globally, its estimated that five million young people (15-24 years of age) are living with HIV. About 3000 young people are newly infected with HIV each day. According to recent surveys in low- and middle-income countries, only 24% of young women and 36% of young men responded correctly when asked questions on HIV prevention and transmission.

Browse more data visualizations.


For more details on CrowdOutAIDS visit http://www.crowdoutaids.org/.

To read other Art for AIDS International posts related to UNAIDS visit: http://www.artforaidsinternational.org/tag/unaids/


CrowdOutAIDS: A new youth-driven, youth-focused HIV strategy

In 2011, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) challenged young people from around the world to collaborate and crowdsource the next global HIV strategy. Today, after five months of collaborative efforts, youth leaders from around the world met in Abuju Nigeria to present CrowdOutAIDS to UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé; a new strategy produced by more than 5000 young people from 79 countries that will guide the UNAIDS Secretariat’s work on HIV and young people through 2015.

Leveraging social media and new crowdsourcing technology enabled young people to shape the future of the global response to AIDS, a first in United Nations history. “It brought decision-making to the grassroots, to the skilled and unskilled, learned and unlearned, rich and poor, to contribute to an issue that affects all our lives: HIV," said Nigerian activist Gabriel Adeyemo.



“I am so impressed by the dedication, energy and enthusiasm that young people have shown through the CrowdOutAIDS initiative,” said Mr Sidibé. “The recommendations they have presented to UNAIDS will help us mobilize a new generation of young leaders and we will work together to stop new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths.”

Globally, its estimated that five million young people (15-24 years of age) are living with HIV. About 3000 young people are newly infected with HIV each day. According to recent surveys in low- and middle-income countries, only 24% of young women and 36% of young men responded correctly when asked questions on HIV prevention and transmission.

Through CrowdOutAIDS, young people proposed six key recommendations for the UNAIDS Secretariat:

  • Strengthen young people’s skills for effective leadership at all levels of the AIDS response;
  • Ensure the full participation of youth in the AIDS response at country, regional, and global levels;
  • Improve young people’s access to HIV-related information;
  • Diversify and strengthen strategic networks between the UNAIDS Secretariat, youth networks, and other key players;
  • Increase the UNAIDS Secretariat’s outreach to both formal and informal networks of young people; and,
  • Increase young people’s access to financial support.

“We have worked together, using the simplest tools—each one of us in their own corner of the world—to create spaces of exchange and draft this important document in real-time, public online sessions,” said Zahra Benyahia, a CrowdOutAIDS drafting committee member. “This is not the end. It’s the first step toward revolutionary youth leadership in the AIDS response.”


For more details on CrowdOutAIDS visit http://www.crowdoutaids.org/ or check out UNAIDS' Press Release

Photo Source: CrowdOutAIDS



A Call to Action: 30 Years into the AIDS response

30 years ago, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a report outlining five cases of what was believed to be a rare form of pneumonia. In retrospect, this report would be the first official one to outline what is now recognized widely as the HIV epidemic. Unfortunately, what this CDC report could give little indication of was that these five cases foretold the most severe epidemic in modern history. What was equally unpredictable, however, was that the story of AIDS would be one not only of tragedy, but one of resilience, solidarity, and innovation.Read more


Eight Years of Partnership: The York School and Art for AIDS International

Last night the students and faculty at Toronto's The York School raised an incredible $1690.00 for Art for AIDS International at their annual concert.  All of the funds raised came from the sale of artwork produced by York School students at this year's Art for AIDS International workshop series, which was hosted for the eighth consecutive year.  Last nights success, however, got us thinking a little bit more about the incredible role that the York School has played as a supporter of Art for AIDS International, and about the direct results that have come out of the passion and leadership of their students.  As such, we decided to crunch the numbers and find out how much the York School has been able to raise in their eight year partnership with Art for AIDS International...the results even surprised us: Read more


2010 UNAIDS Report and the State of the HIV/AIDS Pandemic

Parts of this post originally appeared on Notes From the Field, a blog written by Art for AIDS International board member JP Bervoets.

This past week UNAIDS released the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. In it, UNAIDS highlights a number of key successes that seem to suggest that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has passed peak infection levels. One statistic in particular has been drawing considerable media attention: New infections have dropped by 20% globally.Read more


Where Change Begins: October and November Updates

Over the past two months, Art for AIDS International has spread its message by hosting workshops and events across three continents. During that time, we have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of new students, connect with new partners in both the public and private sectors, and pursue new funding opportunities that will enable us to continue this essential work.  Further, and as a direct result of these initiatives, we have continued to donate funds to organizations working with women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in communities across sub-Saharan Africa.  This was most recently exemplified by a $20,000 contribution to Nkosi’s Haven in Johannesburg South Africa; one of Art for AIDS International’s long time partners.  Further, as a part of the Art for AIDS International scholarship program we have just awarded a post-secondary scholarship to a young woman from Uganda who embodies the passion and creativity needed to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.Read more