Visual AIDS Panel Discussion, Revisiting "Flood": A Volunteer Network for Active Participation in Healthcare, 4/22

Flood, 1992-1995. Photos courtesy of A. Laurie Palmer. [Image Description: This photograph taken from the street depicts two people talking inside a storefront gallery, the gallery is full of plants and the lighting has a greenish glow.]

Wednesday, April 22, from 7:00pm to 8:30pm 

An online conversation about the legacy and ongoing relevance of Flood (1992–1995), a collectively run garden and public art project in Chicago. As COVID-19 highlights the importance of mutual aid and radically alters our experiences of place and community, Flood provides a case study for thinking about the role of artists and collectives in an epidemic.

In 1992, the artist collective Haha built a hydroponic garden in a storefront on the north side of Chicago as part of the landmark public art exhibition "Culture in Action." Both the garden and the group of twenty to thirty people who volunteered to maintain it became known as Flood.

Envisioned in part as a response to the AIDS crisis, the garden produced vegetables and therapeutic herbs for people living with HIV. For several years, Flood also provided bi-weekly meals for the broader Rogers Park community, as well as educational activities, meeting space, and public events. Information sessions on alternative therapies, horticulture, nutrition, and HIV/AIDS services in Chicago were another important element of Flood’s work. Eroding distinctions between artists, participants, and audiences, Flood continued far beyond the timeframe of "Culture in Action," becoming an important touchstone in the development of what is now called “social practice” art. 

Read more about the participants and organizers at Visual AIDS.

Please RSVP here to receive information about how to attend on Zoom.The event will start at 7PM EST.