Happy midweek everyone! Tori here.

As an Art History major focused on the art of the AIDS crisis, I often explore the social roles of art, especially art that is shown in public spaces.

You may have seen my post on our IG about public art. I talked about how public spaces have long been spaces for marginalized and/or activist artists to display work that would not have traditionally been accepted into museums/galleries because of elitism and prejudices. Public places have also ensured wider reaches, more eyes and more diverse eyes at that, because art is displayed in everyday spaces rather than solely confined to art institutions.

Billboards are a great example of public spaces that guarantee wide reaches. This is one reason why artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres frequently displayed artwork with AIDS/AIDS-related subject matter on billboards. ACT UP’s artist collective, Gran Fury, also displayed artwork on spaces that were traditionally used for advertisements, such as the sides of buses, to widely debunk destructive falsehoods about AIDS.

Continuing this legacy of art in public spaces, traditionally reserved for ads, is non-binary artist and activist Jonah Welch, who launched the Trans People are Sacred National Billboard Campaign last month.