Red State Project unveiled on World AIDS Day

by Robin Dorner

Editor in Chief

More than a year ago, OKC artist Ashley Griffith came up with an idea after a friend told her part of his life story. The man is HIV positive and was concerned about ‘who could love him.’ Griffith said, “A friend of mine, a straight man, who is [HIV] positive, came up to me one night and said, ‘What woman is going to love me being positive?’”

It made the artist think about how many people might be positive and not want to share that vital information with someone, might not disclose that fact at the right time or just how some people live with that secret, the worry, every single day.

“I think that the issue of HIV/AIDS can still be shrouded in so much stigma and shame; especially in states like Oklahoma,” adds Griffith. “I think that a lot of Oklahomans still see HIV/AIDS as a gay man’s disease and the truth is for a while now the growing rates of infection are in young women and straight men…I wanted to mix the art with my thoughts and so I came up with the project.”

The Red State Project is a series of photographic portraits along with verbal interviews of those Oklahomans living with HIV/AIDS. The individual portraits are placed in jewel CD cases and then compiled to form one large scale rectangular grid; on each side the grid there will be audio containing the verbal interviews of the people in the various portraits. 

“I wanted to show through the portraits and stories that the disease affects all kinds of people,” said Griffith. “The purpose of this project is to utilize digital storytelling and portraits to provoke thought and dialogue regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Oklahoma,” adds Griffith, who is also the owner of the a.k.a. gallery in Oklahoma City’s trendy Paseo Arts District.

But Griffith was surprised at the number of people who did not want to be portrayed. In fact, her tagline for the project is, ‘My hope is that one day, everyone can face forward.’

“I’ll have an additional piece in this show which will represent all the Oklahomans who could not, for whatever reason, come forward.”

Now completed and hung at IAO Gallery, located on Film Row at 706 W. Sheridan in OKC, Red State Project will be unveiled and open to the public beginning on World AIDS Day, Sunday, Dec. 1 and will be open through Jan. 11, 2014.

“It was important to me to have it in a place that was important,” Griffith said in closing. “I would have loved to have had it at the state capitol but the size and the installation piece were too large for the space there.”

Griffith is planning Red State Project Missouri for 2015. “Of course I have to secure funding and as it begins I also think once people see the project they will be more inclined to participate.”

For more information or to participate in the project, contact Griffith at 405-606-2522 or visit www.facebook.com/RedStateProject.

The Gayly - November 30, 2013 @ 6:45pm