Art, Stories, and Lived Experiences of HIV

In partnership with Nebraska AIDS Project (NAP), this panel discussion brings together Dr. Avery and local community members living with and impacted by HIV to explore how storytelling and art intersect to build empathy, affirm identity, and inspire action. Participants will reflect on their lived experiences in conversation with Dr. Avery, offering a dynamic and heartfelt dialogue about healing, visibility, and collective care.

Agenda:

5:30: Doors open, refreshments available

6-6:30 p.m. Community art project with Nebraska AIDS Project

6:30-6:50 p.m.: Introductory program from Dr. Eric Avery

6:30-7:15: Community member panel discussion moderated by NAP

7:15-7:30 Panelist Q&A

7:30-8: Community connection time

Join us for any or all of this enlightening evening where stories and artwork converge—revealing how our shared humanity is the most powerful force in public health.

Light refreshments will be provided and drinks are available for purchase.

Presented by Creighton University’s Kingfisher Institute, with the Nebraska AIDS Project, and with the support of the Nebraska Arts Council and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

Nebraska AIDS Project’s mission is to lead the community in the fight to overcome HIV and its stigma through education, supportive services, and advocacy. For more than 35 years, NAP has worked to center the voices of those most impacted—particularly Black, Brown, LGBTQ+, and underserved communities—and has become a trusted source for equitable sexual health services across Nebraska and the Midwest.

This collaboration exemplifies NAP’s commitment to trauma-informed, community-centered approaches. By uplifting lived experience and creative expression, we not only destigmatize HIV but also illuminate the resilience, power, and beauty within our communities.

About Eric Avery

Trained as a psychiatrist, art and advocacy have long been part of Dr. Eric Avery’s vocation as a healer. Dr. Avery’s artworks explore the liminal space between art and medicine. His work is on exhibit in Omaha as part of a Kingfisher visiting fellowship and exhibition at Creighton University. Visit "Art as Medicine, Medicine as Art," at the Lied Art Gallery between Sept. 5 and Oct. 5. This exhibit includes artworks from his time as a physician at a Somalia refugee camp; AIDS and HIV wards and action clinics; as well as from Avery’s life now as a political activist on the Texas-Mexico border. A pioneer in the medical humanities field, Dr. Avery shares his artworks and his experiences with our community to prove that art can inspire compassion and help save lives.

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