Townspeople is excited for the return of From the Heart, our second annual community art installation dedicated to uplifting HIV+ women and femmes in San Diego, featuring 70 handmade hearts displayed from our windows facing El Cajon Boulevard! Now on display to the public through March 31, 2024.
Why We Care
Women and femmes living with HIV often experience isolation and stigma, and face specific challenges around relationships, parenthood, and healthcare. As a minority of cases in San Diego County, the unique needs and experiences of HIV+ women and femmes in our community can unintentionally be overshadowed. The goal of From the Heart is to create a platform for individuals and communities to engage in acts that uplift and evoke love and care to women and femmes in San Diego who are living with HIV.
This project is inspired by LOVE POSITIVE WOMEN, an ongoing project established by Visual AIDS in 2013 that’s grown to become an international series of events celebrating HIV+ women and femmes.
From the Heart: How to Participate
We’re continuing to collect hearts, to add to our public-facing windows as well as in our office reception area.
To participate, print out our heart template, cut it out and decorate it outright or use it as a stencil on construction paper or cardstock. Once decorated, write your name, email address, and Instagram handle (optional) on the back of the heart, and drop it off or mail it to Townspeople by before March 30, 2024 for it to be included in our art displays.
Decorate the heart however you like—with your choice of colors and embellishments, and with positive messages, poems, favorite inspirational quotes, and words. For ideas, check out our reel from 2023.
Feel free to make more than one card, enlist family and friends to make a card, or even host a From the Heart card-making party! No act is too small. Together, we can remind women and femmes living with HIV in San Diego that they are seen, valued, and loved.