ESTHER MCGOWAN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF VISUAL AIDS

by Carl M. George

Esther McGowan, my friend and colleague, is the executive director of Visual AIDS, the New York City–based nonprofit that, since 1988, has been the archive and repository of artwork by artists who have died of AIDS related illnesses, and of those living with the disease. Esther is also a woman of high style, intelligence, and most importantly, a deeply caring and empathetic nature. I often wonder how she stays so positive, working alongside people living with the vicissitudes of AIDS, communities lacking basic services in healthcare, facing daily prejudice and violent hate crimes, yet somehow surviving – oftentimes with the help of organizations like Visual AIDS. It would wear me down, but she persists! 

With multiple degrees and certifications in art history, business, and Women in Leadership from New York University, Cornell, and St. Andrew’s University in Scotland, she has made a career of grant making and fundraising, working her way through the nonprofit sector. Every day she is surrounded by the archives of brilliant artists whose lives were taken by an uncaring government and nation, whose works were often thrown to the curb, disregarded, or shoved in closets or storage units by families who had abandoned their brothers, sisters, sons, and daughters long before their illness took hold. Esther sees it as a mission, and the archive as an abundance of riches. She knows that the world needs to see this artwork and that Visual AIDS serves a critically important function – one that becomes clearer and more urgent as time goes on. 

In her current role, she oversees everything from the planning of the annual Postcards from the Edge and VaVa Voom fundraisers to museum and gallery exhibitions, to moderating and participating in panel discussions, conferences, and artist talks, speaking on topics such as visual art, art activism, and contemporary issues around HIV/AIDS, while managing the financial health of the organization. She, and her excellent staff’s tireless efforts, have raised the profile of Visual AIDS to an internationally recognized organization and made visible the stunning artwork of people who otherwise would have long been forgotten to history. 

“I think the challenge is around our mission. We are an arts organization working within the HIV/AIDS community. We always want to be sure that every project we do accurately represents the issues around HIV and AIDS, as well as an accurate representation of an artist’s work. It’s very important to us to look at the diverse communities affected by HIV and AIDS, and it’s important to us to be sure we’re stewarding certain legacies of people who passed away from HIV and AIDS in a way that’s appropriate.” Esther McGowan