Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award

Funding Partner: ViiV Healthcare

Program Overview

To honor the legacy of Mary Bowman and support other accomplished young and emerging art activists ("artivists"), the National AIDS Memorial has partnered with ViiV Healthcare to create the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award.

These $5,000 awards are intended to support young and emerging artivists each year who exemplify Mary's passion for the arts as the vehicle for their own HIV/AIDS and/or health equity and social justice community activism and expression.

Artivist Definition: Artivism harnesses the critical imagination to design events and strategies that provoke new questions and new meaning in pursuit of more respectful ways of being. With respect to HIV/AIDS, such artistic statements are frequently borne from a variety of perspectives in terms of gender, sexuality, age, class, ethnicity, and nationality, and wield artistic expression as a tool for combating stigma.

Focus Areas

Recipients use their art and activism to raise greater awareness about:

• Bigotry and stigma around HIV/AIDS
• Social justice around HIV/AIDS
• Health inequities and social injustices that fuel the spread of the disease

Eligibility

• Ages: 27 and younger
• Status: Student and non-student art activists are welcome to apply
• Geographic Scope: Study or reside in the United States

What Recipients Must Do

Recipients of the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award will be asked to share the art that was funded by this award within one year after receipt of funds. The National AIDS Memorial will have no ownership of the art — they simply wish to share with their funding partner the inspiring work that was supported.

About Mary Bowman

In May 2019, the HIV/AIDS world lost Mary Bowman, a promising poet, advocate, author, singer and young person living with AIDS at age 30. Born with HIV, she lived out her experiences of growing up and living with HIV (and losing a mother to AIDS) through her art. As a young, out woman of color, she was a dynamic, vital voice for the next generation of individuals living with HIV — proud and willing to speak of her own challenges with health needs (mental health, social support) and a fierce advocate for other young people with HIV for whom a voice was lacking.

Mary Bowman was an icon of hope and resilience and performed at the 2018 ViiV Healthcare Youth and Community Summit where she inspired leaders across the movement.

Additional Context

Stigma as a Barrier: Stigma, and all it entails — shame, isolation, embarrassment, exclusion, shunning — remains among the most formidable barriers to fighting the epidemic. Through this Award, the organization hopes to inspire the amazing world of art and activism.

Application Process

1. Access Application Portal: The 2026 application is now open — click the application link on the Mary Bowman Arts in Activism Award page to apply
2. Application Platform: Kaleidoscope platform (online application portal)
3. Required Materials:
   • Personal statement/essay
   • Application Requirements documentation (available on website)
4. Important Notes on AI and Plagiarism:
   • Although ChatGPT and similar AI programs can be valuable tools, they cannot replace a human voice — they cannot tell your story like you can
   • When it comes to scholarship applications especially, your unique talents, goals, values, and personality are what the selection committee is most interested in
   • The Kaleidoscope platform uses an AI & plagiarism detection tool designed to identify plagiarism and AI use in application essay responses
   • If your personal statement and/or essay have been flagged for AI and/or plagiarism, you will not move onto the next stage
5. Available Resources:
   • Learn More About Mary Bowman
   • Application Requirements
   • Meet the 2025 Award Recipients and Experience their Artivism
   • Meet the 2024 Award Recipients and Experience their Artivism
   • Meet the 2023 Award Recipients and Experience their Artivism

Questions

For questions about this program, contact Steve Sagaser at ssagaser@aidsmemorial.org