Art for AIDS Opens Online Gallery and Shop

All of us at Art for AIDS International are proud to announce that we have just launched our new online shop!

With this is a new and exciting feature we will be able to showcase and share the tremendous work that students produce during our workshops and make those works available to a broader global audience. Just like in our physical gallery, new prints will be regularly added and rotated through our online gallery, so stop by frequently to see and purchase new artwork.

Each print is part of a limited edition and has been hand-signed by the artist. The artwork is created during Art for AIDS International workshops with students from  various countries including Canada, Zimbabwe, South Africa, the Netherlands and more that address the impact that HIV and AIDS is having on communities across Africa and around the world.

For just $30 you can purchase a piece of beautiful art as well as give back with proceeds supporting Art for AIDS parnter projects in sub-Saharan Africa working with women and children affected by HIV and AIDS.

Coupon Code

We are also pleased to announce that the first 100 orders will receive $10.00 off their total purchase. Just enter "NEWSHOP" as the coupon code in the shopping cart before you check-out.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support. Please let us know what you think of the new online gallery by leaving a comment below. We will continue to update it, and add new prints and features in the weeks to come.


An Ode to the Art for AIDS volunteer team

Art-for-AIDS-Volunteers

As an organization that relies on volunteer support, Art for AIDS International is happy to acknowledge the amazing work our volunteer staff has been doing. The passion they have been showing as of late has been nothing short of inspiring. Since we are so fond of our volunteers, we decided that we wanted to show them off. Please meet a few members of our team: Brittany, Nicole, Madeline, Josinah, and Jessica.  Read more


The Biggest of Thank-You's

The following article was written by Alex Kruger, Art for AIDS International Student Intern!

Art for AIDS International Cookies
Delicious Art for AIDS Cookies donated by Colie Cakes

I want to take a moment to thank everyone who came out to our event on March 27th: the "Art for AIDS International Exhibit: Showcasing UWO Talent". The night was an overwhelming success and saw an amazing turnout. The cupcakes and cookies provided by Colie Cakes were both beautiful and delicious, the music performed by Graham Nicholas, Alanna Gurr, and Sam Allen was spectacular, and the art was inspiring. Thank to you all the contributors who made the night happen, especially Art for AIDS International’s amazing volunteers—without them the night would not have run as smoothly as it did. So, to everyone, a big thank you! Read more


Working at Art for AIDS INTERNational

The following post was written by Kate Hoad-Reddick, student intern at Art for AIDS International.

Wide shot of Art for AIDS International Gallery

Alex and I have been working as Interns at Art for AIDS International for just over three months now. While our placements are almost over, our relationship with Art for AIDS International will be long-lasting. Since our first day, Art for AIDS International has been a warm and stimulating place to work. The passion of Founder and Executive Director, Hendrikus Bervoets and the dedicated volunteers has been contagious. We have also been tactfully mentored from abroad by JP Bervoets. JP has been amazing to work with and has introduced us to the world of Art for AIDS International.

So, what have we been up to recently?Read more


Art for AIDS International Exhibit: Showcasing UWO's Talent

The following post was written by Alex Kruger, Student Intern at Art for AIDS International.

Poster UWO Art ExhibitArt for AIDS International is excited to present an Art for AIDS International Exhibit: Showcasing UWO’s Talent!

On February 5th, 2010, a group of students from the University of Western Ontario (UWO) took part in a day-long workshop with Hendrikus Bervoets, Executive Director of Art for AIDS International. The artwork they created was both passionate and engaging.

Please join us on Sunday, March 27th, from 7PM-10PM to celebrate their beautiful art. Keeping in tune with the local theme, local musicians, Alanna Gurr, Sam Allen, and Graham Nicholas will be performing. Baked goodies are also being donated from up-and-coming baker, Colie Cakes. (Mmmm.) Read more


Art for AIDS Foursquare Special!

Art for AIDS International is now on Foursquare!  To encourage everyone to stop by our gallery we have decided to offer 5 dollars off any print for first time check-ins on Foursquare. All you have to do is come to our gallery, sign in to your Foursquare account using your mobile phone and show one of our staff members or volunteers.

To learn more about Foursquare, visit: http://foursquare.com/

Or to check out Art for AIDS International's venue page, please click the button below!


The Art for AIDS Gallery- A Transformation of Space

The current Art for AIDS International gallery space
The current Art for AIDS International gallery space

By Daisy Oliver
(Art for AIDS volunteer coordinator)

It’ s hard to believe, that only one year ago, the gallery and venue of Art for Aids International, was nothing but a frumpy storage space. Now, as witnessed on its successful October 1, 2009 First Anniversary Opening, the space beautifully boasts the original and diverse artwork of the ever evolving Art for AIDS organization.

There is extraordinary power in a creative act that can transform something ugly into a thing of beauty. Art for AIDS International has been built upon this philosophical cornerstone.

One of its defining qualities is its ability to transform the political and moral ugliness of the AIDS pandemic into artistic statements of beauty and hope as represented in its Kids for Kids collage prints. It is, therefore, somehow fitting that the same philosophy was used in finding a physical space for our organization.

Art for AIDS International opened its new gallery in the lower level at 242 Dundas Street at the end of September 2008. The opening on Sept 26th was the culmination of a long tedious process of reclaiming a derelict and very ugly space and changing it into an oasis of serenity and beauty.

The new gallery represents a stunning achievement of creative transformation on the part of Hendrikus Bervoets, CEO of the organization and his son Jean Paul Bervoets.

Hendrikus and Jp had been searching for some time for a potential space into which Art for AIDS could move.  Its ever expanding inventory of Kids for Kids prints had outgrown the basement office in the Bervoets’ home. Art for AIDS needed a larger space but the cost was a critical factor since the organization is non-profit. This meant looking at places others would consider unrentable. Consequently, it also meant copious amounts of searching.

In the late winter and early spring of 2008, the Bervoets’ found a place in the basement of a building on Dundas Street, in London, Ontario, that held promise.  The site had not been used for anything other than storage in decades.  It was dank, dark, and stank from mold and damp. There were no lights and no plumbing. But Hendrikus, with his refined artist’s eye, saw the latent potential of the place beyond the refuse and the rubble. It just needed some work to fix it up.

There then began a 6 month joint renovation project between the landlord, his contractors, and Hendrikus himself and whatever volunteers he could muster up to help.  Ceiling tiles were taken down and hundreds of clumps of glue individually chipped off, marble floors scrapped clean of old paint, new wiring and plumbing installed, everything painted from top to bottom, new shelving and fixtures installed, new doors added. Hendrikus did much of the grunt work himself always fuelled by an inner vision of what could be.  Turning something ugly into something beautiful often involves just a lot of plain old-fashioned hard, dirty work and a dream.

When you come into the Gallery now, you will see white walls highlighting the Art for AIDS prints that are softly lit with track lighting. You will see our beautiful marble floors polished to a soft gleam. At the end of the Gallery, set against a bright red wall, is a handmade receptionist’s desk over which hangs a stained glass representation of the Art for AIDS International logo.

Since its opening, the Gallery has been used for board meetings, for student events, for art workshops, for corporate luncheons and even concerts. It has become a downtown oasis for creative activity and a fun place to come visit.

The Gallery is open from Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 6 pm and on Saturdays, noon to 4 pm. We welcome visitors to come and see our wonderful space and browse our art collection. Don’t take my word on it; experience the radical transformation for yourself!