Visual AIDS presents an exhibition in Homeroom that charts the early development and impact of harm reduction across the US in the late-twentieth century. Founded in 1988, the organization utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving their legacies—because AIDS is not over. Following their inaugural Homeroom presentation in 2021, this exhibition features materials from the archives of writers and activists Richard Berkowitz and Heather Edney—photography, DIY publications, and other ephemera—detailing the creation of safe sex guidelines and safer injection practices. Centering the expertise of sex workers and drug users, the presentation highlights how harm reduction strategies used by social services today are informed by the work of those most directly impacted by the AIDS epidemic and drug-related overdoses.
