Day With(out) Art Date in the current year: December 1, 2024

The first ever Day Without Art (back then, its name was written without parentheses) was initiated by Visual AIDS on December 1, 1989. It was the national day of mourning and action in response to the AIDS crisis.

About 800 American art organizations and AIDS groups took part in the inaugural Day Without Art. Some museums and art galleries took down artworks for a day and replaced them with information about HIV and safe sex. Others shut down and sent stuff to volunteer at AIDS services and World AIDS Day events. Visual AIDS also produced a series of exhibitions, performances, readings, memorials, programs, and other events.

During the next decade, more and more artists and art organizations from all over the world became involved with Day Without Art. In 1997, it was suggested the campaign be renamed a Day With Art, in order to emphasize the importance of cultural events for drawing attention to the continuing AIDS pandemic. As a compromise, Visual AIDS added parentheses to the old name to highlight various aspects of the campaign.

Since 2010, artists and filmmakers have created special videos for the project. These videos are distributed internationally to art institutions, museums, AIDS organizations, and schools.