#metanoiaonline

Metanoia Online is an interactive web exhibit that provokes and explores the question: What happens when we center HIV history around Black women’s experience and contributions to AIDS Activism?

Metanoia Online is the third instantiation of our exhibition first launched at the LGBT Center in New York City (Winter 2019) and at our own ONE Gallery, West Hollywood (January 2020). Metanoia Online is created by One Institute with curatorial guidance from Katherine “Kat” Cheairs, creative direction from our Director of Content Strategy Umi Hsu, and design and production support by our Exhibitions Intern Fati Zulaikha.

The original exhibition Metanoia: Transformations through AIDS Archives and Activism is curated by Katherine Cheairs, Alexandra Juhasz, Theodore (ted) Kerr, and Jawanza Williams for What Would an HIV Doula Do? (WWHIVDD). From the Curators’ Statement: “Metanoia is an archival examination of community-based responses to the ongoing AIDS crisis. The exhibition highlights the contributions of Black cis and trans women, and cis and trans women of color impacted by HIV, many of whom have had experiences within the criminal justice system.”

Metanoia Online features media content previously unavailable at the in-gallery shows in New York and Los Angeles. With an interactive inquiry-based design, this guided web experience with curatorial writings also showcases posters, newsletters, pamphlets, and other activist ephemera from the LGBT Center National History Archive’s holdings as well as those of ONE Archives at the USC Libraries.

Also new in this web exhibit is a multimedia documentary series with photos and audio recordings from interviews conducted by Lolita Lens Photography of five women in New York City currently working on issues related to HIV & AIDS. A more recent photo-audio documentary series by Black Queen Photography highlighting four Los Angeles-based HIV/AIDS activists is also included.

View Metanoia Online: https://metanoia.onearchives.org/

This project is made possible by an Arts Internship grant from the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.

About banner image

alt text: a photo of Jawanza Williams’ hand with tattoo that says “Metanoia,” over bold black paint brushstroke on a saturated yellow background

Image: Photo by Lolita Lens; design by Kate Yeonjeong An