U of Illinois art museum to mark World AIDS Day with films

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) - The Krannert Art Museum at the University of Illinois's Champaign-Urbana campus plans to show seven short films to mark World AIDS Day .

Officials say the films are about the impact of AIDS in black communities. The films will loop continuously on three video monitors in the art museum lobby from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Each film is about seven minutes long. The university's department of gender and women's studies is co-presenting the film program, called "Alternate Endings, Radical Beginnings."

The New York-based arts organization Visual AIDS commissioned the films. This is the first year the university museum is hosting the program.

Krannert Art Museum modern and contemporary art curator Amy Powell says it's important to show the works to a broader audience.