LibGuides: Art &amp; Performance in the Time of AIDS: Getting Started

Course Guide for Art, AIDS, Activism

Art & Performance in the Time of AIDS

Welcome! This course guide brings together resources related to art and performance and the ongoing AIDS crisis in the United States. These resources are only a starting point.

Please feel free to make an appointment with me to broaden your focus. You can book directly into my calendar using the "Schedule Appointment" button on the left, or email me at mwisner@barnard.edu.

Image: ACT UP, Silence = Death, 1987. Color lithograph. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org.

Using Encyclopedias in your Research

Wikipedia

As the world's largest encyclopedia, Wikipedia's coverage is vast. You are more likely to find articles on obscure topics in Wikipedia than you would anywhere else. But is Wikipedia accurate? While Wikipedia can be edited by anyone in the world (including you!), scholarly encyclopedias like Encyclopedia Britannica are written and edited by experts in their fields. However, 2005 study in the journal Nature weighed the accuracy of science articles on Wikipedia against the more scholarly Encyclopedia Britannica, Wikipedia was found to be nearly as accurate in the 42 articles investigated. Encyclopedia Britannica refuted these claims. When using Wikipedia, or any encyclopedia for that matter, it is wise to verify what you find.

Strengths of Wikipedia

Wikipedia is updated frequently. New information can be, and often is, added to the site within minutes. Due to editorial limitations, scholarly encyclopedias are usually updated annually.
Because Wikipedia crowd sourced, there is the potential for a broader authorship than is found in academic publications.
Citations in Wikipedia offer a wider array of materials, including articles and resources that are available for free and online.

Weaknesses of Wikipedia

Editors on Wikipedia are not necessarily experts. Authorship on Wikipedia is often anonymous or obscured.
Articles are always changing, making them difficult to cite in your research. An article you read today, may look quite different tomorrow.
Articles can be vandalized, providing wildly inaccurate information.

Ways to use Wikipedia

Use Wikipedia to get a general idea about a topic you are interested in.
Wikipedia is great for generating keywords for further searching in CLIO and elsewhere.
Check the citations, recommended resources and external links to guide you to more scholarly work.

Scholarly Encyclopedias

Similar to Wikipedia, these resources provide an overview on a given topic, but the authors are experts in the fields they are covering. Below you will find a few general encyclopedia collections with coverage across a wide variety of fields.

Scholarly Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice by Gary L. Anderson (Editor); Kathryn G. Herr (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9781412918121
Publication Date: 2007-04-13
The Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice presents a comprehensive overview of the field with topics of varying dimensions, breadth, and length. This three-volume Encyclopedia is designed for readers to understand the topics, concepts, and ideas that motivate and shape the fields of activism, civil engagement, and social justice and includes biographies of the major thinkers and leaders who have influenced and continue to influence the study of activism.
Encyclopedia of AIDS by Raymond A. Smith (Editor)
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9780203305492
Publication Date: 1998-08-27
First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Encyclopedia of American Activism by Margaret DiCanio
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9781504036689
Publication Date: 2016-10-04
The turbulence of the 1960s and 1970s spawned a spectrum of activist movements. In spirit and action, events ranged from: gentle to violent; from Tree People to Bloody Sunday; from Community Mental Health to Black Power. This rapid stream of social and political change defined the second half of the 20th century, yet had roots in the first half. The baby boom generation launched many movements. Unlike their Depression/WWII parents, the boomers, a large cohort of unattached, young adults, had no looming familial and social responsibilities. They had the freedom and resources for the consuming task of changing the world.
The Encyclopedia of HIV and AIDS by Sarah Barbara Watstein; Stephen E. Stratton; Evelyn J. Fisher (Foreword by); Edward A. Morales
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9780816077236
Publication Date: 2012-03-01
The Encyclopedia of HIV and AIDS, Third Edition provides a comprehensive reference to all aspects of HIV and AIDS with completely updated and reorganized material to best reflect the current research and understanding. More than 130 articles explain what HIV is and how it progresses to AIDS, what treatments are available, social and political issues, AIDS organizations, and much more.
The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender History by Howard Chiang
Call Number: Online
ISBN: 9780684325538
Publication Date: 2019-02-08
A three-volume set, The Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender History (Charles Scribner's Sons) will provide a global view of the history of LGBTQ, covering significant figures and events worldwide. Wide-ranging in scope, this encyclopedia complements courses in a variety of disciplines, including history, literature, psychology, sociology and others. This title is being created under an international editorial board, led by Howard Chiang (University of California, Davis).

AIDS Web Resources

ACT UP New York
ACT UP was formed in response to social neglect, government negligence and the complacency of the medical establishment during the 1980s. Soon it found itself needing to fight corporate greed, lack of solidarity and various forms of stigma and discrimination at home and abroad. While ACT UP has an incredible history, HIV/AIDS is not history.
AIDS in New York: The First Five Years
A New York Historical Society exhibition dedicated to the first five years of the AIDS epidemic.
Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art
Created by our founders to preserve LGBTQ identity and build community, the Leslie-Lohman Museum acts as a cultural hub for the LGBTQ community by aspiring to reclaim scholarship from a queer perspective, to provide a training ground for queer artists and cultural workers, and to examine the juxtaposition between art and social justice in ways that provoke thought and dialogue.
NYC AIDS Memorial
The NYC AIDS Memorial honors more than 100,000 New Yorkers who have died of AIDS (auto immune deficiency syndrome). It also acknowledges the contributions of caregivers and activists who mobilized to provide care for the ill, fight discrimination, lobby for medical research, and alter the drug approval process. The Memorial aims to inspire and empower current and future activists, health professionals and people living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS) in the continuing mission to eradicate the disease.
NYC LGBT Historic Sites Project: The AIDS Crisis
This curated collection includes the residences of influential AIDS activists and artists, venues where fundraising events were held, and meeting and demonstration locations of AIDS organizations.