BLOOD MIRROR Opening Reception

Exhibition on view at the American University Museum September 12 - October 18, 2015 BLOOD MIRROR at THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY MUSEUM Nine gay, bisexual and transgender men donate blood for sculpture to protest FDA’s ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center presents Blood Mirror: organized by Jordan Eagles an exhibition in which the central artwork is a 7-foot-tall, interactive, monolithic sculpture created in protest of the FDA’s ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. The exhibition also includes collaborative works by Eagles with activist/filmmaker Leo Herrera and fashion designer Jonny Cota of Skingraft. The exhibition will be on view from Sept. 12 through Oct. 18. In 1983, in an early response to the AIDS crisis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration implemented a lifetime ban on blood donations from gay and bisexual men. More than 30 years later, on May 13, 2015, the FDA proposed an updated policy that would allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood, but only if they are celibate for a full year. There is no celibacy requirement for heterosexuals, regardless of their risk for contracting HIV. A UCLA Williams Institute study found that lifting the ban completely could save up to a million lives annually. In 2014/2015, artist Jordan Eagles enlisted a group of nine extraordinary gay, bisexual, and transgender men, each with a unique life story, to donate their blood in protest of the FDA’s ban for the sculpture, Blood Mirror, and additional works. Viewers can enter Blood Mirror and see themselves reflected through the blood of the nine donors. This blood has been encased in resin and is fully preserved, ensuring that the organic material will not change over time. A totem of science and equality, Blood Mirror is an archive of the donors’ blood that confronts the 32-year history of the FDA’s ban. The exhibition also features a second sculpture, Activist/filmmaker Leo Herrera filmed the blood donation of each of the nine men. This footage archives the act as protest, and—through interviews with each donor—documents their unique personal stories, and their perspectives on equality, science, history, and policy. Jonny Cota, head fashion designer for SKINGRAFT, collaborated on a flag created from a microscopic image taken of the red blood cells from all nine blood donors. The nine men who donated their blood to this project: Reverend John Moody, Kelsey Louie, Lawrence D. Mass, M.D., CPT Anthony Woods, Loren Rice, Oliver Anene, Ty Spicha, Blue Bayer Howard Grossman, M.D. also the Medical Supervisor for Blood Mirror PRESS: Huffington Post: 'Blood Mirror' Art Installation Draws Attention To FDA Gay Blood Ban http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/14/blood-mirror-gay-blood_n_7573234.html?ccc MSNBC's "Shift" http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/watch/lgbt-leaders-protest-fda-ban-in-blood-sculpture-461668931930 Identities Mic: This Artist Is Protesting The FDA's Gay Blood Ban In The Most Intense Way http://mic.com/articles/120867/jordan-eagle-sculpture-full-of-blood Slate: This Beautiful, Blood-Filled Sculpture Brilliantly Condemns the Gay Blood Ban http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/06/17/jordan_eagles_blood_mirror_a_brilliant_commentary_on_the_gay_blood_ban.html Passport Magazine: See Art Made from the Blood of Gay Men to Protest FDA Ban on Gay Blood http://www.passportmagazine.com/blog/archives/42519-see-art-made-from-the-blood-of-gay-men-to-protest-fda-ban-on-gay-blood/ Logo: NewNowNext: Sculpture Created Using Blood Donations From Gay Men Protests FDA Policy http://www.newnownext.com/sculpture-created-using-blood-donations-from-gay-men-protests-fda-policy/06/2015/ Out Magazine: Blood Mirror: Gay Artist Jordan Eagles Creates Sculpture to Protest FDA Blood Ban http://www.out.com/art-books/2015/6/15/blood-mirror-gay-artist-jordan-eagles-creates-sculpture-protest-fda-blood-ban Elite Daily: Gay Men Protest FDA Ban on Donating Blood with Powerful Piece of Art http://elitedaily.com/news/world/gay-men-protest-fda-ban-on-donating-blood-piece-art/1067151/ The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2015/06/24/watch-blood-mirror-reflects-fdas-gay-blood-ban-7-foot-tower?team=social Daily Beast: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/24/the-artist-with-gay-blood-on-his-hands.html Bullett Magazine: Artist Jordan Eagles 'Blood Mirror' sculpture protests the FDA's Gay Blood Ban. http://bullettmedia.com/article/artist-jordan-eagles-blood-mirror-sculpture-protests-the-fdas-gay-blood-ban/ Posture: Leo Herrera Discusses His Self-Defined Role as a Queer Artist http://posturemag.com/online/2015/07/10/leo-herrera-discusses-his-self-defined-role-as-a-queer-artist/