WEST SIDE FEST
AIDS HISTORY
& EXHIBITION TOUR
WALKING
Co-Presented with
Part of
SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2026, 11 AM
FREE!
About the Event:
Explore the intersection of history, art, and grassroots activism with New York City AIDS Memorial Executive Director Dave Harper. This immersive program begins with a guided walking tour of the New York City AIDS Memorial, including its newest site-specific installation, Eternal Flame for Scott Burton by artist Oscar Tuazon, as well as its historic environs, including the LGBT Community Center and the former St. Vincent's Hospital, grounding visitors in the West Village neighborhood that served as the poignant epicenter of the epidemic. You'll trace the footsteps of the advocates, caretakers, and activists who changed the course of history.
The journey then moves from the streets to the gallery, culminating in a visit to the exhibition Love & Fury: New York’s Fight Against AIDS, curated by Ian Bradley-Perrin at Poster House. This exhibition explores how graphic design shaped New York’s grassroots response to AIDS from 1979 to 2003. Through a striking collection of public health campaigns, agitprop, benefit flyers, and club handbills, the exhibition offers more than historical material but also shows how communities built survival and communication systems from the grassroots.
Join us to discover how design became a vital weapon in the fight for survival, visibility, and justice, and how a community's love and fury altered the cultural and political landscape forever. This program is part of West Side Fest, a three-day celebration of arts and culture across Manhattan's historic west side, organized by the West Side Cultural Network (WSCN).
About the West Side Cultural Network:
Formed in 2019, the West Side Cultural Network (WSCN) is a group of museums, parks, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions located within a half-mile portion of historic New York. WSCN highlights the cultural destination along New York's West Side, where the arts, history, and community converge to create a uniquely enriching experience for all.
Through regular meetings, WSCN has established a regular dialogue among a growing number of non-profit cultural institutions located on the West Side. The network works to foster a sense of community among cultural colleagues, raise awareness about the work of its member organizations, discuss goals and objectives to support each other's mission-driven work, and explore and act on opportunities for collaboration.
About West Side Fest:
Manhattan’s West Side is a vibrant cultural hub, packed with museums, parks, performing arts centers, and community organizations. West Side Fest (WSF) is an annual, weekend-long celebration of one of New York’s most dynamic neighborhoods with the potential to enrich the lives of New Yorkers while driving tourism and local economic activity.
Since WSF launched in 2023, the event has expanded from one day into a weekend-long celebration. A highly-anticipated festival for New Yorkers and tourists alike, WSF’s programming features free admission to a number of institutions, workshops for kids, all ages artmaking, dance programs, concerts, and more. New Yorkers and visitors of all ages are invited to celebrate the vibrant, cultural destination along the waterfront of Manhattan’s West Side!