User:Grolltech/Provincetown AIDS Memorial
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| 42°3′5″N 70°11′14″W / 42.05139°N 70.18722°W | |
| Location | Provincetown, Massachusetts, on the East lawn of Town Hall |
|---|---|
| Designer | Lauren Ewing |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Material | Carbon grey quartzite, 17 short tons (15.4 t; 15.2 long tons) |
| Length | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Width | 9 ft (2.7 m) |
| Height | 3 ft (0.9 m)[dubious – discuss] |
| Opening date | June 16, 2018 |
| Dedicated to | The lives lost to AIDS, the caregivers who responded to the crisis, and those still living with the disease. |
The Provincetown AIDS Memorial is a monument dedicated as a "reminder of the lives lost to AIDS and the humanitarian achievements of the caregivers who responded to the crisis. It is also a reminder of those who are still fighting to live and the continuing impact of AIDS in communities worldwide."[1]
Description
[edit]Located in Provincetown, Massachusetts on the Town Hall's east lawn, the Provincetown AIDS Memorial is a horizontal stone monument depicting the ever-changing waves in the ocean, captured at a unique moment in time.
The monument was fashioned from two blocks of carbon grey quartzite, a hard stone from Brazil that was chosen to withstand the harshness of the environment on Cape Cod.[1] Weighing 17 short tons (15.4 t; 15.2 long tons) and configured in a horizontal square measuring 9 by 9 feet (2.7 by 2.7 m), the memorial was dedicated on June 16, 2018.
Two opposing sides of the memorial are inscribed with a single word: "Remembering."
A third side contains the following dedication:
The Provincetown AIDS Memorial is a horizontal monument, a unique moment in the living ocean. This Memorial is a reminder of the lives lost to AIDS and the humanitarian achievements of the caregivers who responded to the crisis. It is also a reminder of those who are still fighting to live and the continuing impact of AIDS in communities worldwide. Provincetown was a first responder to the crisis in this country. In 1983 the Provincetown AIDS Support Group opened its doors to hundreds of people living with adults who came here seeking assistance and treatment. Here they found open minds, but hearts, and an interest in their well being. Provincetown's commitment to being a caring community continues today.
The final side of the monument contains several poem fragments written by local poets, combined into a single block of verse:
Steve’s / holding Jerry, though he’s already gone, / Marie holding John, gone, Maggie holding / her John, gone, Carlos and Darren / holding another Michael, gone / and I’m holding Wally, who’s going. * Transcendence might be the term Emerson would lend it. / What I’m trying to say is that it wasn’t lonely. * Look: I am building absence / out of this room’s air * We are all made of / our own people laying names on the ground * Most of it happened without music, the click of the spoon from the kitchen, / someone talking, somebody sleeping / Someone watching somebody sleep.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Edwards, Ian (2017-05-25). "After 15 years, Provincetown's AIDS Memorial is making waves". The Provincetown Banner. Retrieved 2018-06-17.
- ^ Gessen, Masha (July 27, 2018). "What the Provincetown AIDS Memorial Leaves Out". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
Category:Provincetown, Massachusetts
Category:Monuments and memorials in Massachusetts
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