This talk will focus on the over 8,000 AIDS Education
posters which are part of the collection of the Department
of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation at the
University of Rochester. A gift of Dr. Edward Atwater, the
posters and related ephemera span the globe and use
diverse tactics, imagery, and emotion to educate about
HIV/AIDS. The collection, the among the largest of its kind
in the world, is the focus of a 2021 collaborative exhibition
to be held at the Memorial Art Gallery. The exhibit, along
with an accompanying book, innovative programming,
and more, will seek to engage and create dialog around
the history of the AIDS crisis and the continuing crisis in
our community and around the world.

Jessica Lacher-Feldman is Assistant Dean and the Joseph N. Lambert
and Harold B. Schleifer Director of Rare Books, Special Collections at
Preservation, River Campus Libraries, at the University of Rochester,
and is the curator of the AIDS Education posters collection and
project manager for the upcoming exhibit at MAG. Jessica holds an
undergraduate degree in French Studies and graduate degrees in
History and Library Science (Archives concentration) from the University
at Albany. With twenty years in the archives profession, Lacher-Feldman
has written and presented on a wide variety of topics and is an
internationally recognized expert on exhibit development in archives and special collections.