Outdoor Mural Artist Selected To Raise Awareness for Broward County Residents On the Importance of Being Tested and Knowing Your HIV/AIDS Status

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – July 14, 2016 – The Florida Department of Health in Broward County (DOH-Broward) and ArtServe announce the winner for the “Art to End AIDS” public mural project, a component of the broader “HIV Ends with Me” and Broward Greater Than AIDS campaigns.

 DOH-Broward is working with ArtServe to create a public mural in Broward County that will depict images and messages that promote the “HIV Ends with Me” themes of being tested and knowing your HIV/AIDS status. The mural will be revealed in conjunction with the annual United States Conference on AIDS to be held in Fort Lauderdale in fall 2016.

A panel of distinguished jurors including members from the arts community, public art officials, and healthcare professionals has reviewed dozens of art submissions and carefully deliberated the finalists’ submissions. The winner was selected for its thoughtful engagement with the “HIV Ends with Me” theme and its compelling artistry.

DOH-Broward and ArtServe are excited to announce the winner is Georgeta Fondos.

“The finalists exhibited great creativity, talent and commitment to this important cause, so the decision was not an easy one. However, Georgeta’s design embodies ‘HIV Ends with Me’ in a way that will encourage and engage the Broward community,” said Evelyn Ullah, Director of HIV/AIDS Prevention at DOH-Broward. “Combining remarkable talent with a message to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs, this mural will undoubtedly become a special piece of public art.”

“We are thrilled to unite the art community and the ‘HIV Ends with Me’ campaign with Georgeta Fondos’s forthcoming mural,” said Jaye Abbate, President and CEO of ArtServe. “The concept is original and powerful — it beautifully serves the project’s goal to create a permanent fixture of support for the Broward community’s fight against HIV/AIDS.”

Learn more about the Art to End AIDS mural project at www.artserve.org/art-to-end-aids/.  

About the Florida Department of Health
The department, nationally accredited by the Public Health Accreditation Board, works to protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county and community efforts.

Follow us on Twitter at @HealthyFla and on Facebook. For more information about the Florida Department of Health please visit www.FloridaHealth.gov.

About ArtServe

Now celebrating its 25th Anniversary, ArtServe was incorporated in 1988 as one of six original arts incubators in the United States, with a mission of developing programs that support artists and cultural organizations as a means to creating vibrant, thriving communities. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, ArtServe offers its members a wide range of progressive services, events, affordable facilities and collaborative programs that promote the visibility of art and culture throughout South Florida and helps artists turn their art into business. ArtServe recently received the “Salute to Business” award from the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce and the Doyle Foundation Award for Non-Profit Excellence.  In 2014, ArtServe was voted Broward County’s best non-profit arts organization at the Nonprofit Academy Awards, and Best Art Gallery Readers’ Choice Award from New Times Broward Palm Beach. Programs are supported in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council, and the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.

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Press Contact: David Plath, 954.462.8190 ext 210, davidp@artserve.org