The Reason and The Ride
March 12, 2013 - April 11, 2013
Exhibit dates:
Tuesday, March 12, 2013 to Thursday, April 11, 2013
Reception date & time:
Thursday, March 14, 7.30 pm
15 years of the Friends For Life Bike Rally
Description:
In 1999 two men, Danny Nashman and David Linton, decided to ride their bicycles from Toronto to Montreal to raise funds for charity. At the time, theToronto People With Aids Foundation (PWA) was facing a revenue shortfall and without an immediate cash infusion it would have to diminish the services it provided to its clients. The two men created the Friends For Life Bike Rally to meet this critical need. That first year a total of twenty-seven individuals set out to ride their bicycles over 600 km. That first year, they raised $44,498 for PWA. Since 1999, over $10 million has been raised by the Bike Rally for PWA.
This year the Bike Rally is celebrating its 15th anniversary. This exhibit is a look back, not just on the previous fourteen Bike Rallies, but also on the parallel growth of PWA and the incredible support it has given to people living with HIV and AIDS since 1999. The Reason and the Ride has been made possible through cooperation with the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives (The ArQuives) as a part of their 40th anniversary celebration. Just like The ArQuives, the Bike Rally has grown to become an institution within Toronto’s queer community. In partnering together, we have created an opportunity to explore the personal histories, the triumphs, and even the losses in the Bike Rally’s history. Here at The ArQuives we invite you to explore this commemoration of the journey that the Friends For Life Bike Rally has made, and will continue to make to support PWA.
PWA is the largest direct support service agency for people living with HIV/AIDS in Canada. There are more than 15,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Toronto; this represents approximately one quarter of Canada’s HIV-positive population. Last year alone, PWA provided over 62,000 unique services to more than 2,000 individuals.
Biographies:
Curated By:
- Tom Spence
Contributing Artists:
- James Forrester
- Brian Lawrence
- Andrew Glenn
- Mark Fisher
Produced With:
- Mith Das
- Abraham Grigaitis
- Daniela Mason
- Tim Ledger
- Andrew McDonald
- Mark Scheibmayr
- Mike Smith
- Kevin Wolfley