Search

Call for Video Proposals: Day With(out) Art 2021
Visual AIDS invites artists and filmmakers to submit proposals for new video works to be produced and distributed...

Visual AIDS invites artists and filmmakers to submit proposals for new video works to be produced and distributed to over 100 venues worldwide for Day With(out) Art 2021. Visual AIDS utilizes art to fight AIDS by provoking dialogue, supporting HIV+ artists, and preserving a legacy, because AIDS is not over.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: May 17, 2020

Apply here

Visual AIDS has organized Day With(out) Art every year since 1989, coordinating art museums, galleries, and nonprofits across the world to present programs in response to the AIDS crisis. Since 2015, Visual AIDS has commissioned short videos from artists and activists to be distributed and screened at over 100 venues worldwide on/around December 1, World AIDS Day.

For Day With(out) Art 2021, Visual AIDS is accepting proposals from artists and filmmakers for short video works reflecting the needs and experiences of long term survivors and people living with HIV. We are particularly interested in proposals related to any of the following themes:

  • The global pharmaceutical industry, drug patents and pricing, the politics of drug distribution and access, and the prioritization of profits over cures
  • The work of activists around the globe who have challenged treatment paradigms and created alternative systems of care and support
  • The realities of living long term with HIV, including side effects of past and current medication, the difficulty of adherence and sustained care, and the impact of the epidemic on mental health
  • The needs and priorities of people living with HIV at a moment when the conversation about AIDS has become focused on PrEP and prevention

Anyone may submit a proposal, regardless of geographic location or HIV status. Artists and filmmakers who are living with HIV are encouraged to apply.

We welcome proposals from both emerging and established artists in a range of forms, including documentary, narrative, and experimental. Collaborative proposals are also welcome.

Up to six selected artists will receive a $2,000 honorarium to produce a short video work (5–10 minutes) to be premiered at over 100 venues worldwide on December 1, 2021 for Day With(out) Art.

Visual AIDS will premiere these new video works at a marquee screening in New York City in addition to coordinating over 100 screenings at museums, universities, and arts organizations worldwide. Videos will be made available for free online viewing after December 1, 2021.

Proposals will be reviewed by a jury including AIDS activist Ivy Arce, filmmakers Jean Carlomusto and Thomas Allen Harris, and Mathew Rodriguez, associate editor at The Body.

Successful proposals will respond thoughtfully to the themes outlined above and demonstrate the artist’s ability to produce a final video by July 1, 2021. Artists will be expected to independently manage the production of their work while incorporating feedback from Visual AIDS staff throughout the process.

* Note: Information about the video program for Day With(out) Art 2020 has been announced here. This call for proposals is for Day With(out) Art 2021.

Past Day With(out) Art projects have featured video works by Thomas Allen HarrisLyle Ashton HarrisShanti AvirganMykki BlancoCheryl DunyeRhys ErnstGlen FogelCarl GeorgeJim HodgesJim HubbardDerek Jackson / Hi TigerTom KalinKia LaBeijaCarol Leigh / Scarlot HarlotLuna Luis OrtizRay NavarroTiona Nekkia McCloddenMy BarbarianNguyen Tan HoangBrontez PurnellViva RuizMark S. KingIra SachsIman ShervingtonEllen SpiroNelson SullivanJustin B. Terry-SmithJulie TolentinoTourmalineJack Waters and Victor F.M. TorresJames Wentzy and Derrick Woods-Morrow. For more information on past Day With(out) Art projects, click here.


To apply, please submit a 250 word written proposal for a new film/video work, an artist statement, a work sample, and a CV through this Google Form. (A google account is required to apply.)

If you have any questions about the application process, please email Kyle Croft, Visual AIDS Programs Manager at kcroft@visualaids.org.

DEADLINE EXTENDED: May 17, 2020

Successful applicants will be notified by July 1, 2020.