Focus on Hope

An exhibit at Bristol-Myers Squibb zooms in on the efforts being made to educate and treat AIDS victims.

By:Hilary Parker
   A photography exhibit chronicling the AIDS epidemic in Africa could, it would seem, display only images of despair and futility. Pictures of a land where tears are often the only rain, children have long since forgotten how to smile, and the pain of death and dying has turned once vibrant colors to drab shades of gray might be anticipated, expected even. A trip to such an exhibit would be devastating.
   All of these things could be true, but aren’t, of A Time for Hope: Changing the Face of AIDS in Africa, on view at the Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb through Dec. 16. The photographs by BMS staff photographer Charlotte Raymond tell the story of the SECURE THE FUTURE program, a BMS initiative that currently entails a $150 million commitment across 10 African countries to combat the AIDS epidemic.
   Ms. Raymond’s exhibit contains images of people like Calvin and Helen, an HIV-positive couple in Namibia. Calvin’s arms are wrapped around Helen’s shoulders, and the look in his eyes says it all — this is true love. In a land where many men leave their HIV-positive wives rather than admit that they, too, have the dreaded disease, Calvin chose to stay. Now, he and Helen are models in their community, activists for knowledge of AIDS and its treatment.
   The pictures are not all as easy to regard as this one of the smiling couple, however. On a nearby wall hangs an array of photographs telling Tammi’s story. She is dying of AIDS; it is immediately obvious. One photo shows her two young children standing over her, another depicts the agony she feels while swallowing her medication.
   "I had to put the camera down and just sit and hold her hand," says Ms. Raymond. "She thanked me for the moment."
   Despite the tragic images, Tammi’s story includes photographs of the BMS-trained home health care workers who visit Tammi twice a day to administer her medication and care for her. The women clearly love their jobs, and their determined expressions make it clear that they will make a difference. They are an embodiment of hope.
   "I knew I had a mission to tell their story," says Ms. Raymond of the subjects of her photographs, most of which were taken in the past three years. "I tried to connect with them so it connects with the viewer."
   No easy task for Ms. Raymond, who has made multiple trips to Africa from her New Hope, Pa., home in the past seven years, and has an upcoming trip later this month. The trip entails nearly 20 hours aboard airplanes and interminable car rides to the villages where the SECURE THE FUTURE program is in place.
   Once there, Ms. Raymond makes every effort to connect with the people she photographs. She waits until she has gained their trust and knows, deep down, that they are willing to be photographed, before she removes the lens cover of her camera.
   Invited into their homes, Ms. Raymond will enter and sit down, and wait. Within minutes, she says, the children will usually come and investigate. Pets might wander over or adults might come to talk, and then, once she has their permission, she will begin to document their stories.
   Sometimes, though, she can’t get the verbal approval she needs. One side of the exhibit is devoted to SECURE THE FUTURE programs for children whose lives have been affected by AIDS, both through having the disease themselves and through losing beloved family members to the epidemic.
   One particularly devastating photograph shows a baby girl obviously ravaged by illness. While her body is weak, her gaze is strong: deep, beautiful eyes look directly out of the photograph into the heart of the viewer. It is a tangible experience.
   "It was OK with her," says Ms. Raymond, who spent time with the child to gain her trust before capturing her haunting image on film. "I have to have permission from them. I want to help them."
   And, in order to help them, she has chosen the images included in the exhibit carefully. Along with the sad images are photographs of children running and laughing, their honest smiles so powerful the viewer can’t help but smile back at them. It is as if they are right there with you.
   "They are giving it all, putting their lives out to me," says Ms. Raymond. "It’s my responsibility to do something with it." And so, along with the tragedies, she selected images that are pure hope, the promise of a future vastly different from the reality of today.
   Her hope is to reach individuals, schools and corporations through her art to encourage and inspire people to take action against the devastation that has gone on far too long. The photographs are not too graphic for teens, but strong enough to make an impact, and BMS has invited many local schools to bring students to the gallery.
   Ms. Raymond recounts the story of one 14-year-old girl who attended the exhibit opening and expressed the same response as the adults in the audience — a combination of utter sadness for the pain depicted but an immense hope for the future, an unexpected optimism.
   "I think there’s a great understanding that comes from art," says Ms. Raymond. "I’m hoping this’ll make a little bit of a difference."
A Time for Hope: Changing the Face of AIDS in Africa is on view at The Gallery at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Route 206, Lawrence, through Dec. 16. Gallery hours: Mon.-
Fri. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 1-5 p.m. The Gallery will be closed Nov. 24-25. For information, call (609) 252-6275. For information about the SECURE THE FUTURE program, visit www.securethefuture.com