To the Editor:
Imagine a world without Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman," Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's," John Cage's "4'33"," Martha Graham's "Clytemnestra," Rodin's "The Kiss." Imagine what Alvin Ailey, Robert Mapplethorpe, Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, and Randy Shilts could have created had they not been lost to AIDS.
The arts community has been one of the most affected by the AIDS epidemic.To commemorate this loss, on December 1, 1989, a group of art galleries and museums decided to close their doors or drape certain works of art in memory of those who have died of AIDS. Day Without Art allows us to recognize the loss of art works that were never created.
We asked the Oberlin Review to omit the arts section in participation of this day of mourning. However, the editors believe that coverage of art is not art itself, and it will therefore be reported in this week's edition. The larger issue, though, is that if there was no art to report, then there would be no arts section. We invite you to reflect upon a world not just without the arts section, but entirely without art.
Copyright © 1996, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 11; December 6, 1996
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