Holland Cotter writes: “Closer to home there was…a stirring lament of a public sculpture, called “Craig’s Closet” by the American artist Jim Hodges, installed in the park adjacent to the New York City AIDS Memorial. In part thanks to its placement near the memorial, the piece kept personal and political content in subtle sync, in an image that spoke of lives we had and have, lives we lost and are still losing, and lives we need to fight not to forget.”

To kick off Pride Month, the New York City AIDS Memorial and the Whitney Museum hosted the second annual Legends of Drag on June 5.

Community members joined together at the New York City AIDS Memorial on June 13 to remember the life of Kathy Ottersten, an out trans ACT UP veteran who died in January.

The New York City AIDS Memorial’s June 15 program, A Remembrance, as well as our newly inaugurated bench dedication program, were featured on NY1, with commentary by New York City AIDS Memorial Board Member Eric Sawyer and activist Michelle Lopez.

A profile on Egyptt LaBeija, one of the fierce performers featured in Legends of Drag, hosted by the NYC AIDS Memorial and the Whitney Museum on June 5, 2024.

The second annual Legends of Drag revue occurred at the Whitney Museum of American Art. It is an event to honor trailblazing drag queen elders who have been leaders in their communities. The queen elders were kicking out their heels and collecting dollars for their performances at the event organized by the New York City AIDS Memorial.

On June 5, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the New York City AIDS Memorial partner on “Legends of Drag,” a revue celebrating drag queens featured in the book “Legends of Drag: Queens of a Certain Age.” Hosted at the Whitney, the event includes performances by Egyptt LaBeija and other drag veterans.

Announcing the New York City AIDS Memorial’s free, public events and programs coming June 2024.

Chris Bogia is a Queens, New York–based artist as well as the cofounder and former executive director of Fire Island Artist Residency (FIAR). In February’s Artforum, he shares his Top Ten, which includes Jim Hodges’ Craig’s closet at the New York City AIDS Memorial, which, he writes, “interrupts the artist’s kaleidoscopic parade with a dark intermission,” as “a meaningful marker.”

NYCAM Board Member Eric Sawyer is mentioned in this article about a forthcoming AIDS Memorial on Fire Island. The proposed bipartisan legislation would authorize the building and maintenance of the memorial within the Fire Island National Seashore, a federally designated wilderness.

Despite rainy conditions, advocates joined together on Dec. 1 to commemorate World AIDS Day at the New York City AIDS Memorial in the 32nd annual Coming Out of the Darkness event. The gathering represented just part of a day-long slate of events at the NYC AIDS Memorial on World AIDS Day.

Friday’s downpour couldn’t stop community members from coming down to the AIDS Memorial in Greenwich Village to remember those who’ve died from the disease. For eight hours, community members recited the names of those lives lost.

Friday marked the 35th annual World AIDS Day, when every Dec. 1 people gather to remember those who have died of and been impacted by HIV/AIDS.  Many events were held this year to raise awareness and fight the stigma.  Over the course of eight hours at the New York City AIDS Memorial in the West Village, people simultaneously read the names of New Yorkers who died of the disease. 

The New York Daily News highlights the New York City AIDS Memorial’s World AIDS Day Programs: “For 35 years, World AIDS Day has sought to increase awareness about the ongoing global health crisis, which has claimed the lives of more than 40 million people over the past four decades. Here are a few ways to commemorate the date in New York City.”

Advocates are planning multiple events to commemorate the 35th annual World AIDS Day in New York City, which is observed on Dec. 1. The NYC AIDS Memorial in the West Village will read the names of New Yorkers lost to AIDS. From 4 to 6 p.m., chefs from Queer Soup Night will provide free food for attendees. At 6 p.m., the Memorial will hold the 32nd annual Out of the Darkness World AIDS Day Candlelight Vigil. This year’s theme for the vigil is “Leading With Kindness.”

Read Joshua Barone’s preview of Arthur Russell: City Park at the New York City AIDS Memorial which has been reconstructed and will be performed for the first time in five decades, presented by the memorial outdoors for free and featuring an ensemble that includes Russell’s close collaborators. The musician Nick Hallett, who is responsible for the reconstruction, said that the piece was “about New York City,” and more important, “tells the story of Arthur’s New York City.”

Free, public programs include events, multimedia commissions, and presentations by the Recollectors, Avram Finkelstein, Jim Hubbard, Arthur Russell, and more, throughout September and October 2023.

St. Vincent’s Triangle, a small park in New York City’s Greenwich Village neighborhood, is named for the hospital that once stood nearby. A site of sorrow and loss for the LGBTQ+ community, St. Vincent’s hospital was known as ground zero of the city’s AIDS epidemic, opening the first ward for AIDS care on the East Coast in 1984. The triangle is a fitting site for the New York City AIDS Memorial—which opened in 2016—and for a new sculpture unveiled earlier this month: Called Craig’s closet, the artwork will remain at the site until May 2024.

Maya Pontone writes: “A granite and painted bronze replica of a bedroom closet frozen in time, “Craig’s closet” is an intimate interior space brought outdoors that explores the intangible experiences and memories contained in material objects left behind: shirts and jackets on hangers; filled drawers and packed shelves; stacks of untouched books and folders; bags and boxes holding unknown treasures.”

Jameson Montgomery writes: “This year, a sculptural installation by the artist Jim Hodges has been added to the triangle’s small lawn. Titled “Craig’s Closet,” the work honors the musician Craig Ducote, with whom Hodges lived at the time of his death in 2016.”