National AIDS Memorial names 2026 Mary Bowman Arts in Activism awardees

By AI, Created 11:10 AM UTC, May 20, 2026, /AGP/ – The National AIDS Memorial has selected four new recipients of its Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award and reopened applications for the next round. The program, funded by ViiV Healthcare, supports artists whose work advances HIV/AIDS awareness, health equity and social justice.

Why it matters: - The award backs artists using creative work to fight stigma, expand empathy and spotlight the conditions that help HIV persist. - Each recipient gets $5,000 to support art activism tied to HIV/AIDS, health justice and social justice. - The program is one way the National AIDS Memorial and ViiV Healthcare are investing in community-based responses to HIV.

What happened: - The National AIDS Memorial named Charlotte Isenberg of Appalachian State University, Mariela Morales-Inturias of NYU Tisch, Sam Charney of NYU Tisch and Sydney Wright of the University of San Francisco as the latest Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award recipients. - The organization reopened applications for the 2026 cycle. - The current application period closes June 30, 2026. - Additional details are available at the award website.

The details: - The award is now in its sixth year. - The program honors Mary Bowman, a poet, advocate, author and singer who died from AIDS in 2019 at age 30. - The award is funded through a multi-year Positive Action Community Grant from ViiV Healthcare. - ViiV Healthcare is described as the only pharmaceutical company 100% dedicated to preventing, treating and ultimately curing HIV. - To date, ViiV Healthcare has provided $265,000 in support for the program. - The award supports student and non-student art-activists whose work inspires communities, advances health and social justice and contributes to the fight against HIV/AIDS. - The program recognizes the arts as a tool to dismantle stigma, foster empathy, challenge harmful social narratives and draw attention to the conditions that allow HIV to persist. - Mary Bowman was born with HIV and used her art to share her lived experience and advocate for others. - Her legacy continues to inspire artists focused on ending HIV/AIDS and addressing health inequity, stigma, discrimination and social injustice. - Charlotte Isenberg is a senior at Appalachian State University whose work centers on reproductive justice, cultural preservation and Indigenous sovereignty. - Charlotte Isenberg founded the App State Abortion Doula Collective and draws on lived experience to explore reproductive autonomy. - Mariela Morales-Inturias is an Indigenous Quechua filmmaker from Cochabamba, Bolivia and a graduate student at NYU Tisch. - Mariela Morales-Inturias produces documentary work that amplifies underrepresented communities and reflects struggle and joy. - Mariela Morales-Inturias also advocates for Indigenous education and food security. - Sam Charney is a performance artist and student at NYU Tisch whose interdisciplinary work addresses transgender identity, anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and social injustice. - Sam Charney’s recent work, “Transduction,” uses satire to challenge harmful narratives. - Sydney Wright is a junior at the University of San Francisco majoring in Gender and Sexuality Studies and English Literature. - Sydney Wright leads the Lavender Lights Film Festival, which highlights queer elders and challenges stereotypes about identity, aging and belonging.

Between the lines: - The award links HIV activism to a wider set of justice issues, including reproductive rights, Indigenous sovereignty, transgender identity and queer visibility. - The selection points to a strategy of using art and storytelling to reach communities that may not respond to public health messaging alone. - National AIDS Memorial leaders frame stigma, misinformation and unequal access to care as central drivers of the epidemic, not just adjacent problems. - ViiV Healthcare’s continued funding signals corporate backing for arts-based community programming as part of HIV response efforts.

What’s next: - The 2026 application cycle remains open through June 30, 2026. - The National AIDS Memorial is expected to continue using the award to elevate artists working on HIV/AIDS and related social justice issues. - ViiV Healthcare’s funding support is part of a multi-year grant structure, suggesting the program will continue beyond this cycle.

The bottom line: - The Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award is turning art into a public health tool, with new recipients now using the program’s funding and platform to challenge stigma and broaden the fight against HIV/AIDS.