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Volume 38 Issue1
August 28, 2000

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AIDS victims humanized by sculptures

BY JORDAN CURRIER
MESA LEGEND
Submitted August 28, 2000

A familiar sight to MCC students for the last two years has been "The Many Faces of AIDS," a large mural that contains ceramic molds of AIDS victims’ faces.

"Very humbling," was how Linda Speranza, a MCC ceramics instructor, described the process of creating plaster molds of the people’s faces.

Photo courtesy of Linda Speranza

"The Many Faces of AIDS" exhibit, starting Aug. 28.

Speranza is the woman who created the exhibit along with Michelle Milne, a former MCC art student who has since moved on to the Chicago Art Institute.

According to Speranza, Milne saw AIDS victims firsthand while she was a Peace Corps volunteer in Africa and suggested the project to her.

"There’s such a stigma about the disease," Speranza explained. "For some people it was like a coming out of a closet issue. They found relief in their face being shown."

Speranza, along with numerous art students and volunteers, placed a thin, non-toxic latex rubber over the person’s face. Plaster is then poured into the mold, allowing for perfect detail. Every pore and every wrinkle is shown.

"The Many Faces of AIDS" was funded by the Maricopa Community College District and promoted through every major AIDS agency in the Valley, including AIDS Project Arizona.

Speranza believes the exhibit brings a face to the disease. "It humanizes it," Speranza said. "For many of them, it was the first time someone validated them. It was really very touching."

The exhibit will be displayed for two weeks in the Navajo Room of MCC’s Kirk Center Aug. 28 to Sept. 8.

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