Jean Carolomusto and Jane Rosett: "Gay Men's Health Crisis: 20 Years Fighting for People with H.I.V./AIDS", April 21-September 10, 2001

An Exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York

Curators: Jean Carlomusto and Jane Rosett

Timeline

2001, April 21

Exhibit opens at The Museum of the City of New York.

2001, April 27

Saulny, Susan. "City Museum Is Accused of Altering Its AIDS Exhibit", New York Times, April 27, 2001. Excerpt:

The curators of a new exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York about a gay group's 20-year struggle against AIDS said yesterday that they were upset that museum officials softened the sexual content of some of their work and that the alterations changed the tone of their story.

The exhibit, Aids: A Living Archive, opened April 21 without a number of sexually graphic materials that some consider historically important, said Jane Rosett, who was the curator of the exhibit with her colleague and companion, Jean Carlomusto.

The exhibit, which is part of Gay Men's Health Crisis: 20 Years Fighting for People with H.I.V./AIDS, includes art and historical items documenting the public campaign against AIDS, as well as interactive informative elements for museum visitors.

Dr. Lawrence D. Mass, one of the founding members of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, said that the museum distorted the message of some of the pieces on display by ordering that they be altered. Dr. Mass, a physician who treats addictions, supplied some of the art from his collection. ....

2001, May 5

MacDonald, Robert R., Dir., Museum of the City of New York. "Museum's AIDS Show". New York Times. Letters to the Editor. May 05, 2001.

To the Editor:

Re Censorship and AIDS (letter, May 3):

Museums are responsible for the materials and messages presented in their galleries. Gay Men's Health Crisis: 20 Years Fighting for People With H.I.V./AIDS, developed by the Museum of the City of New York in collaboration with the Gay Men's Health Crisis, presents an important chapter in New York City's history of confronting epidemics.

With the goal of presenting that story to the widest possible audience, the museum and the Gay Men's Health Crisis decided that sexually explicit images would not be included in the exhibition. To characterize that decision as censorship demonstrates a misguided view of the purpose of the exhibition and the professional responsibilities of museums. ... New York, May 3, 2001

2001, June 5

Dahir, Mubarak. "Making AIDS Easy on the Eye". The Advocate Jun 5, 2001