New York City Comic Book Museum Partners with Cable Positive and St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital for World AIDS Day Sunday December 1
The nation’s only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book, The New York City Comic Book Museum (NYCCBM), is partnering with Cable Positive, the cable and telecommunications industry’s national non-profit AIDS action organization, to sponsor Comic Books Fight AIDS, a World AIDS Day event on Sunday, December 1 at the St. Luke’s Division of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center.
World AIDS Day is an international awareness day commemorated around the globe each December 1, to celebrate progress made in the battle against the 20-year epidemic.
All events, which are scheduled from 12 Noon to 4 p.m., are free to the public. St. Luke's Hospital is located at 114th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in New York, NY. The hospital’s Center for Comprehensive Care is a New York State designated HIV/AIDS center that provides a complete range of inpatient and outpatient healthcare services for people affected by HIV/AIDS.
The schedule of events for Comic Books Fight AIDS includes: Comic Books and AIDS, NYCCBM's traveling exhibit featuring more than 100 pieces of socially relevant comic book art including artwork from Captain Bio, Decisions, Superman, StripAIDS USA, The Incredible Hulk, and others; Showings of the video Comic Books and AIDS: What's the Story? which examines the role the comic book industry has played in HIV/AIDS awareness; Personal appearances by former MTV Real World San Francisco star Judd Winick (a current writer for Marvel Comics and DC Comics) and his wife, Real World costar and doctor specializing in HIV/AIDS, Pam Ling. They will speak about their experience with roommate Pedro Zamora, who lived with AIDS; A special theatrical performance by Nitestar, the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital HIV/AIDS training and education program for adolescents; A panel discussion, “How Pop Culture and The Arts can educate our youth about HIV and AIDS awareness, prevention and testing,” with participants from the arts, the comic book industry, as well as doctors specializing in HIV and AIDS; Panels from the AIDS quilt will be on display; A reading of names of individuals who have passed away from AIDS complications; A comic book art class hosted by Graig F. Weich, for children and adults; A special reception with food and drinks; And HIV/AIDS information and confidential testing will be available.
NYCCBM has a proven track record in the area of education and support for HIV/AIDS. In 1999, NYCCBM produced the 30-minute documentary Comic Books and AIDS: What’s the Story? The documentary, about the comic book industry’s response to AIDS, and its usefulness as a tool in education, awareness and prevention, was produced with a grant from Cable Positive and won the 2000 Tony Cox Fund Award. Established in 1996, Cable Positive's Tony Cox Fund for Local HIV/AIDS Programming is named in memory of Winston "Tony" Cox, a founding Honorary Chair of Cable Positive and a former Showtime Networks executive.
“One in every two HIV infections occurs in the 13 to 25 year age group, the age range of a majority of comic book readers,” said David Jay Gabriel, Executive Director of NYCCBM. “This event, which will be the unique blending of a comic book convention and a health class, will further demonstrate how comic books can help educate our youth, their parents and guardians in a fun, exciting environment.”
In addition to the upcoming Comic Books Fight AIDS event, other NYCCBM programs include: C.O.M.I.C.S. Curriculum – Challenging Objective Minds: an Instructional Comicbook Series, the first museum-approved educational program designed to bring comic books into the classroom; The highly acclaimed exhibit, Heroes Among Us: The Art of 9-11, which recently completed successful showings in Texas and Oregon; The annual Golden Panel Awards for excellence in comic book art; The Saturday, November 23 showing of the 1941-1943 Fleischer/Paramount Superman cartoons, Symphony Space presents Retro Superman, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre (2537 Broadway at 95th Street, New York, NY); The exhibit Daredevil: The Exhibit Without Fear, scheduled for February 2003.
About Cable Positive: Cable Positive is a national non-profit organization that was founded in February 1992 by three concerned cable executives with the mission of organizing cable's resources in the fight against AIDS. Cable Positive is dedicated to unifying the talents, resources, access and influence of the communications industry to raise AIDS awareness; to fund AIDS education, research and care; and to promote a more compassionate climate for people whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS. Cable Positive has grown to include supporters from every major cable network, multiple system operator, cable system, hardware manufacturer, trade association, media publication, and affiliated industry vendors and suppliers. Since 1992, Cable Positive has raised more than $9 million in the fight against AIDS. Additional information about the organization is available on their web site at http://www.cablepositive.org.
About St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital: The two hospitals that make up St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center have been mainstays for healthcare on Manhattan’s West Side for nearly 150 years. The hospital’s Center for Comprehensive Care, consisting of the Morningside Clinic at St. Luke’s Hospital and the Samuels Clinic at Roosevelt Hospital, provide high quality HIV care to individuals of all ages and their families. Services include primary care for adults and children, specialty care, nursing care, gynecology and family planning, dental care, nutrition counseling, complementary therapy, social work/case management, mental health, support groups and peer counseling, education, treatment adherence, violence prevention, TB directly observed therapy, HIV counseling and testing, and legal services. Additional information about St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital is available on their web site at http://www.wehealnewyork.org.
About The New York City Comic Book Museum: The New York City Comic Book Museum started its mission in 1999 to preserve the historical and artistic legacy of comic book culture, place it in the context of a changing society, show its usefulness in educating and entertaining, and instill in audiences the value and joy of this rich American heritage. It is the nation's only museum dedicated to the art of the comic book. The NYCCBM, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, has concentrated on its outreach programs with traveling exhibits, industry gatherings, panel discussions, virtual exhibits and comic book promotions all around the city and the country. The museum is searching for its permanent home to serve as a research facility, library, and showcase for comic books and the creators of this American art form. Additional information about The NYCCBM is available on their web site at http://www.nyccbm.org.
