Ensuring the lives of those lost to HIV and AIDS are never forgotten

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About the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture

It is the mission of the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture task force to ensure the lives of those lost to HIV and AIDS are never forgotten and that their stories are remembered into the future.

The City of Palm Springs recently accepted a proposal made by the Task Force to install an AIDS Memorial Sculpture in the Downtown Park located at Belardo Road and Museum Way. The sculpture, to be carved out of limestone by internationally renowned Palm Springs artist Phillip K. Smith III, will be gifted to the city and people of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The sculpture will have maximum impact in the Downtown Park by adding great beauty and providing the opportunity for reflection and remembrance. An HIV educational component, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment options is also being planned.

Having been given the green light by city council, it is now the goal of the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force to raise the funds necessary to create and install the memorial sculpture.

View to South

View to South

View from above from Parking Garage

View from above from Parking Garage

Sculpture Description

A smooth, carved stone. Glossy polish for reflection of self, people, park, and sky within the surface. Rotating 1/4″ grooves cut into the gloss surface as matte marks – unity through struggle, grief. Tactility in the surface of the stone is of absolute importance. A memoriaI to be touched. To be felt.

A timeless, enduring landmark hover­ing above the ground. Heavy, but light. Lifting hope. Lifting struggle. Lifting up what is important.

A potential touchstone for every cate­gory of community and individual struggle. Is it possible for one land­mark to address human pain, suffer­ing, grief, love, hope? Is it possible for all people to unite together and lift each other up, no matter the individu­al challenge?

Details

Material: Limestone (assembled in 3 seamless pieces) Dimensions: Approximately 9’0” in diameter x 3’0” (2’0” opening at center)

Engineering: A steel column extending upwards in the center of the sculpture will lock the stone in place vertically and will be connected to an underground, non-visible footing. It will appear as if the sculpture is standing upright, perfectly balanced on its curved end. The selected site is not over any underground structures and is accessible by a crane located on Museum Way.

Lighting:  The goal will be to have one or two in-grade fixtures on each side of the artwork providing dramatic lighting at night. Ideally, the selected fixtures and bulb temperature will align with other Rios-selected fixtures within the park.

Maintenance: Because the artwork is carved from stone, maintenance is expected to be minimal. Periodic dusting or washing with water is advised. The color of the selected stone will help to hide desert dust, while also serving as a resilient, strong surface.

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Initial study

Initial study

From the Artist – Phillip K. Smith, III

The sculpture that will become the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial is intended to be a touchstone in the community. It is an artwork that is meant to be tactile — encouraging touch to facilitate connection and engagement. AIDS is about people and the artwork has been scaled to be at the human scale. The circular, torus shape inspires a connected, round, corner-less form that provides space for the community and the individual across its surface.

The community “face,” composed of a series of varied concentric carved circles that are smooth, flat, angular, matte, satin, and gloss, evokes the quilt of humanity that is touched by AIDS. Extending across this varied topography is a series of precise, matte, carved lines representing the “aberration” in the community fabric that has bonded us together. The “individual” face is conceived as a series of smooth undulating “fins,” like water lifting. These fins are a metaphor for grief, love, hope, and time. The form of the artwork itself has a concave and convex flex to it as the community face seems to outstretch and envelope the viewer, while the individual face seems to extend outward at the center towards the viewer.

The opening at the center is at eye level and allows a view through – a connection, a sense of hope, a view beyond what is directly in front of you. Most importantly, it serves as the connective surface that bonds the community and the individual together. It will be a natural place to put one’s hand, acknowledging one’s role in grief, hope, love, and community.

It is my hope that this sculpture serves as a touchstone in the community for all people needing a space for calm, quiet, understanding, introspection, and hope.

The Community

The Community

The Individual

The Individual

The Location

The selected site was chosen with Nate Cormier and Jason Shinoda of RIOS, based on the following:

  • The location between the two mesquite trees is both open and intimate, allowing 360-degree movement around the sculpture and good sunlight.
  • The view through the sculpture frames views of the south edge of the oasis and the waterfall of the water play area.
  • The DG surface can accommodate movement around the work and is a place for pausing off of the main pathway.
  • The existing designed functions of the park are not disrupted.

“It is our responsibility to remember the lives of loved ones lost to the AIDS epidemic and to continue to tell the stories of those lost so that they are never forgotten. AIDS has affected every community across the world, and it is for this reason that AIDS Memorials should be established to honor & remember those lost.

-Mike Richey, Co-Chair National AIDS Memorial

About Phillip K. Smith, III

After growing up in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, Phillip K. Smith III received his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design. From his Palm Desert, CA studio, he creates light-based work that draws upon ideas of space, form, color, light + shadow, environment, and change.

Featured in hundreds of online and print publications, Phillip is known for creating large-scaled temporary installations. His public artworks are sited in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Kansas City, Nashville, Oklahoma City, and beyond; and the artist was recently commissioned to create permanent, light-based works for the cities of West Hollywood, CA, and Bellevue, WA.

Learn More

Media

PS AIDS Memorial Initial Conceptual Package
Download
PS AIDS Memorial Sculpture Task Force Statement of Purpose
Download
PSAMS Press Release
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The Palms Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture is about to become a reality.

Please consider donating to the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Sculpture (PSAMS).
The mission of the PSAMS is to establish a destination to remember, to educate, to realize justice, and to connect the community so that the lives of loved ones lost to AIDS are forever immortalized.

Donate now

Contact Us

To help us reach our fundraising goal, the task force has enlisted Paul Clowers and Ellen Wolf of The Development Department Inc. to lead the project. The task force has also partnered with DAP Health to act as the fiscal processing agent for donations which can be made by visiting daphealth.org/aids-memorial-fund.

For additional information or donation assistance please contact The Development Department Inc. at PSAMS@DevDeptInc.com or call 760-669-3366.

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