AIDS Foundation of Chicago Launches Public Awareness Campaign "It's Not Over: Join the Fight"

AFC partners with City of Chicago, State of Illinois, Chicago-area businesses and universities to display student-created artwork focused on AIDS awareness

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) announced today its partnership with the Chicago Park District, the State of Illinois and several Chicago area businesses and universities to exhibit innovative art displays created by graduate students as part of AFC's AIDS awareness campaign "It's Not Over: Join the Fight."

As part of the campaign, graduate students from the International Academy of Merchandising Design and the University of Illinois at Chicago Fine Arts Department designed 10 displays which will be placed in locations throughout the Chicago area beginning in July. Sites include: Marshall Field's State Street, Crate & Barrel, James R. Thompson Center, Evanston Public Library, LaSalle National Bank, Loyola University of Chicago, and University of Illinois at Chicago. The Chicago Park District will place posters of two of the displays in all 250 park field houses.

"The Illinois Department of Public Health recently reported that AIDS cases in Illinois jumped a staggering 24 percent in 1999 after declining for two straight years," said Mark Ishaug, AIDS Foundation of Chicago Executive Director. "It's important now more than ever that we all work together – non-profit businesses, private sector businesses, schools, libraries and city and state institutions – to spread the word that the epidemic is not over and encourage people to join the fight against it."

In a display being assembled today, the walls, ceiling and floor of a Marshall Field's State Street window will be covered with more than 33 million dots to represent the number of individuals worldwide infected with HIV. Three monitors will continuously air other HIV/AIDS related statistics. This piece, designed by Bryan Johnson of the International Academy of Merchandising Design, will be on display through the end of July.

Established in 1985, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is the Midwest's largest source of private philanthropic support for HIV/AIDS care and prevention programs. Since it began making grants in 1988, AFC has given away more than $9.5 million to support AIDS care, prevention and education programs. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago is Illinois' leading advocate for people living with or at risk for HIV infection. Working at the local, state and federal levels to educate policy makers and the public, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago advocates for sound and compassionate HIV/AIDS policies and programs. The AIDS Foundation of Chicago also administers, coordinates and funds case management, housing, transportation, direct emergency assistance and other programs for people living with HIV/AIDS.

For more information on the AIDS awareness displays, our partners, or the "It's Not Over: Join the Fight" campaign, please contact the AIDS Foundation of Chicago at (312) 922.2322.

###