David Wojnarowicz: 70 Years
On the occasion of what would have been his 70th birthday, the David Wojnarowicz Foundation in collaboration with the New York City AIDS Memorial, Visual AIDS, and P·P·O·W staged a production of Wojnarowicz’s seminal monologues, The Waterfront Journals, a collection of autobiographical fiction inspired by the many people he encountered in his early twenties. Readers included Tommy Turner, James Romberger, Marguerite Van Cook, Peter McGough, Nayland Blake, Morgan Bassichis, Paul Soileau, and Pamela Sneed, with introductions by Amy Scholder, were accompanied by the band Rimbaud Hattie—comprised of Wojnarowicz’s former 3 Teens Kill 4 bandmates Doug Bressler and Julie Hair, along with John Kelly. The Memorial also unveiled a park bench dedicated to Wojnarowicz to memorialize his championing of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Following the performances, a procession moved from the New York City AIDS Memorial to Hudson River Park, symbolically ushering Wojnarowicz’s spirit in communal recognition and celebration.
Born September 14, 1954, Wojnarowicz came of age enmeshed in and inspired by the countercultural scene of downtown New York in the 1970s. A prolific painter, printer, photographer, writer, and activist, Wojnarowicz spoke to the social iniquities he recorded firsthand in his memoirs, graffiti, and virtuosic multimedia compositions. His works were widely shown at such iconic downtown venues as Civilian Warfare, Gracie Mansion Gallery, and P·P·O·W.
Role: Commissioner/Producer
With the David Wojnarowicz Foundation, P·P·O·W, and Visual AIDS
Date: September 14, 2024
Location: New York City AIDS Memorial, New York, NY
