AIDS Activist Legacies: Richard Berkowitz in conversation Linda H. Scruggs and Ivy Kwan Arce

In tandem with Love Rules: The Harm Reduction Archives of Heather Edney and Richard Berkowitz, our current exhibition at MoMA PS1, Visual AIDS presents a powerful conversation centering three long-term HIV survivors and AIDS activists. Richard Berkowitz is joined by Linda H. Scruggs and Ivy Kwan Arce as they celebrate How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach, Berkowitz' seminal work that laid the foundation for safe sex practices. Together, the three will trace the enduring impact of the text and how it has influenced their activist careers. The conversation will expand to more broadly highlight the importance of legacy work, prompting insights into how we properly archive histories and give activists their flowers while they're here.

Following the discussion, visitors are welcome to explore the exhibition and converse with the panelists. 

Love Rules: The Harm Reduction Archives of Heather Edney and Richard Berkowitz is on view at MoMA PS1 from April 24 to October 6. MoMA PS1 is free for all New Yorkers. 

Biographies:

Richard Berkowitz is an author and activist based in NYC. In 1983, Berkowitz co-authored How to Have Sex in an Epidemic, a 40-page pamphlet which went way beyond condom use to demonstrate how many forms of sexual activities could be made safe or safer. How to Have Sex... is widely regarded as the invention of the first sexually explicit safe sex guidelines. His 2003 book, Stayin’ Alive: The Invention of Safe Sex inspired the 2009 documentary, SEX POSITIVE which won the Grand Jury prize for Best Documentary at OUTFEST L.A. He is the last surviving co-author of the “Denver Principles”, an historic 1983 document that redefined the doctor/patient relationship and has been celebrated by the United Nations, the World Health Organization and governments around the world where healthcare for all is a basic human right. 

Linda H. Scruggs, DHL, MHS, LPC, a highly respected figure in the field of HIV advocacy and education, has devoted over three decades to championing the rights and well-being of individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Linda's involvement in the HIV/AIDS community began as a women's health advocate at Johns Hopkins University (former Moore Clinic) after her own HIV diagnosis in 1990. In 2012, she co-founded Ribbon Consulting Group, LLC, which evolved into "Ribbon – A Center of Excellence," a prominent nonprofit organization headquartered in Largo, Maryland, near the nation's capital. The organization facilitates engagement with policymakers, government agencies, and national HIV organizations, bolstering its ability to address HIV-related challenges and health disparities nationally and upon request internationally.

Ivy Kwan Arce is a Chinese American activist and artist. Diagnosed as HIV positive in 1990, she has fought for HIV/AIDS causes with AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), Treatment Action Group, People With AIDS Health Group, Asian Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, and God’s Love We Deliver. She fought for access to medication, clinical trials, and prevention measures such as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP. As a federal HIV and AIDS Planning Council member from 1995 to 1999, she distributed Ryan White Title I funds to patients. A Whitney Biennial 2022 featured artist, she is married with two HIV-negative children.