A TIME TO LISTEN:
ABOUT THE PROJECT

A TIME TO LISTEN is a series of conversations where we learn from the past, apply what we know to the present, and come together to prepare for the future. 

The New York City AIDS Memorial planned to debut a new program in Spring 2020 called HEAR ME: VOICES OF THE EPIDEMIC. Conceived as an on-site installation made up of audible moments from the historical and ongoing response to AIDS in New York City, HEAR ME was to be the third exhibition under our Arts & Education Initiative, after Jenny Holzer’s #LightTheFight in 2018 and Visual Impact: On Art, AIDS, and Activism in 2019. We had imagined this as an important step in creating a living, breathing Memorial. The COVID-19 crisis put a temporary pause on production yet it also provided us an opportunity to delve deeper into the content for the installation, now planned for Fall 2020, resulting in an online conversation series called A TIME TO LISTEN.

A TIME TO LISTEN is made up of six, approximately one-hour-long conversations, hosted online in a webinar format by Theodore (ted) Kerr, a writer, organizer and artist whose work focuses on HIV/AIDS, community, and culture, and Dave Harper, Executive Director of the New York City AIDS Memorial, alongside a series of other expert co-hosts and guests with centuries of activism, advocacy, and history between them. Each conversation is focused on a topic relevant to the curation of the content for HEAR ME. From oral history to news clips; found footage to dance songs, A TIME TO LISTEN allows us to share moments of engaging audio and video, enlightening conversations with history makers, insider information from community members, and opportunities for our audience to share their personal memories and insights all while making the process of research for HEAR ME more transparent.

Access note: All episodes of A TIME TO LISTEN will feature closed captioning by early 2021.