Video Details

A Work in Progress

Availability information for this program

Episodes:

• Becoming "Able" Through Art

  HIV positive artist DeWayne Sessions talks about his passion for art and how he was enabled by the Art Positive Project. He talks about those who helped him reach his dream of becoming an artist - - doing art and moving beyond feeling like a walking AIDS ribbon. He talks about being transformed from someone who is "disabled" to becoming "able," through art, and how the most remarkable period of his life has taken shape during the darkest time.

  Length:	00:03:20

• Story of DeWayne Sessions' Painting Chronicling the AIDS Epidemic

  HIV artist DeWayne Sessions describes his painting that represents all of the people who have died as a result of the AIDS epidemic. He discusses creating this painting to make a political statement about the large numbers of people who have been affected. His painting features both figures that represent the number of deaths and words that tell their stories. Sessions laments the world's loss of the color and beauty of their lives.

  Length:	00:04:06

• Taking Risks and Working With Those At-Risk

  Arts administrator Ruth Lubbers discusses HIV artist DeWayne Session's natural artistic abilities and his willingness to take risks. She discusses his artistry, his openness to working in unfamiliar art forms like stained glass, and her excitement at seeing him become an art teacher to others others affected by AIDS. Sessions works on a piece of stained glass and he talks to a class of people who have been affected by the AIDs virus about the opportunities art provides them. He notes that making art offers benefits to one's health.

  Length:	00:03:01

• The Power of Art to Give Voice and to Heal

  Arts administrators Jean Irwin (Utah Arts Council) and Ruth Lubbers (Arts Access) chronicle meeting HIV positive artist DeWayne Sessions. They describe the genesis of the Art Positive Program - - a program that was created after meeting Sessions and responding to his request for help. Lubbers discusses the value of art in giving people a voice and Irwin talks about the power and role of the arts in healing, citing the many people who turned to self-expression through the arts after 911.

  Length:	00:02:53

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