We Interrupt this Program…

December 1, 1992
Television Broadcast
Photo © 1992 Dona Ann Mc Adams

We Interrupt this Program… was a live national television broadcast created for World AIDS Day and Day Without Art. The program united three concepts of "community"- a national community of artists influenced by the AIDS crisis, organizations around the country (schools, art centers, hospitals, and activists groups) that screened the broadcast in their facilities, and the home audience. Over one hour, We Interrupt… wove live performances by distinguished artists, such as Diamanda Galas, Ron Vawter, David Rousseve, Pierce Turner, and Pamela Sneed, with pieces by young performers, and live on-air contributions from artists and activists in cities across the country. Live, interactive, and unpredictable, We Interrupt… fused the energy and exposure of live performance with the immediacy of the AIDS crisis, and the urgency of AIDS education. The program was produced at the Media Center at BMCC/CUNY, an inner-city educational environment that is predominantly African-American and Latino, providing the students an opportunity to work with profession media artists on a program of national scale. The program was aired in NYC on WNET-13 and WNYC-31, as well as, public television and public access stations across the country. We Interrupt This Program…. was a joint project of Creative Time, BMCC/CUNY, Deep Dish TV, Visual AIDS, and WYBE TV35, Philadelphia.