Open Your Heart Benefit Auction
c. 1998
Designer
Neil Flewellen
DIMENSIONS
24 x 24 in. (61 x 61 cm)
OBJECT NUMBER
PH.2025.187
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
United States
CREDIT LINE
Poster House Permanent Collection
KEYWORDS
Charity, Furniture, Health and Safety, HIV/AIDS, Political, Product

In 1995, the AIDS Resource Center formally adopted the name Bailey House, honoring its cofounder Reverend Mead Miner Bailey. The organization continued its core mission of offering permanent housing to people living with AIDS, particularly those who were low-income, unstably housed, or otherwise marginalized. The renaming also reflected its now well-established identity as an organization focused on AIDS housing services. During the early AIDS crisis, people living with the virus were frequently evicted by landlords, turned away from shelters, and otherwise denied stable housing, making it harder to access consistent medical care. Many were also refused treatment by hospitals or lost their insurance coverage, revealing that AIDS was not only a medical crisis but also a crisis of structural inequality—especially for those already facing poverty or discrimination. Bailey House helped establish the principle that housing is healthcare, providing stable shelter that enabled people with HIV to maintain treatment, reduce hospitalizations, and improve survival rates. These findings influenced national policy, including the creation of the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) program in 1992—the only federal initiative focused on housing people living with HIV/AIDS. Designed by Neil Flewellen, this poster announces the 10th annual Open Your Heart auction with stylized furnishings in bold colors subtly evoking the idea of home. The three panels are artistic renderings of domestic scenes and reinforce Bailey House’s mission to create safe, dignified living environments for people affected by AIDS.

For inquiries about image licensing, please contact collections@posterhouse.org.

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