By Brett Shaw
The red carpet was rolled out in the middle of the IMU to promote an artistic message of sexual safety and acceptance.
Walk It Out, a student-run fashion show, fused fashion, art, and HIV/AIDS awareness in an event held on Wednesday to honor artist Keith Haring as a part of IC Red Week.
Red Week is an annual weeklong series of events put on by University of Iowa students in an effort to bring HIV/AIDS awareness to the community. Walk It Out is one of the many student organizations that play an instrumental role in this mission.
The group’s organizers wanted to put on an event that both reflected their organization and promoted HIV/AIDS awareness, so for inspiration they turned to Haring, an esteemed artist who struggled with AIDS.
“We chose Keith Haring because he was a prominent figure in art, and basically, fashion is art,” said Mareshah McCarty, a co-public-relations director for Walk It Out.
At the event, Walk It Out displayed images of various paintings by Haring so that those passing through could take pictures. Attendees were encouraged to strut down the runway, learn about HIV/AIDS protection, and celebrate Haring’s work.
“[Haring] was a big advocate for HIV and AIDS,” said Brittany Conyers, a co-director of Walk It Out public relations. “After he was diagnosed with it in the late-80s, his artwork started to reflect that.”
Haring created many works before passing in 1990, many of which spoke out on the AIDS epidemic and male sexuality.
One painting featured at the event was Safe Sex!, which pictured a Haring-style cartoon penis holding a condom. Protection is crucial when it comes to HIV/AIDS prevention, and Walk It Out believes in spreading this message. Free condoms and sexual-safety information was also available at the event.
HIV/AIDS awareness is an issue that Walk It Out works on all year long, with all proceeds from its events going toward HIV and AIDS clinic services.
“HIV/AIDS is something that not everyone talks about openly, just like identity or diversity or not being a part of the big group,” said Shemaa Dafalla, a leader of the Middle East group for Walk It Out. “To deliver the message of HIV/AIDS to that big of a crowd is our goal and to show people that it’s OK to talk about it. You’re not going to be judged.”
The main event Walk It Out puts on each spring is its multicultural fashion show; however, Walk It Out also hosts smaller events throughout the year to stay connected to the community and spread its message.
“We don’t want to just show up at the show each year,” Conyers said. “We want to show people that we are actually out here trying to do things and trying to get everyone involved.”
Walk It Out and Haring both desired to create a positive and thought-provoking influence on passionate issues through artistic platforms: Walk It Out with fashion and Haring with painting.
Regarding his political art, Haring once said, “I don’t think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination, and encourages people to go further.”
