Joey Terrill: Healing with Art Through the HIV Epidemic

Joey Terrill is a formative figure in the Los Angeles based Chicano Art movement and in AIDS Cultural Activism.  In his art he explores the intersection of Chicano and Gay male identity as a strategy for his art production.

He began his art career in high school as a Chicano student activist. Concurrently, the Gay liberation movement of the early 1970’s fueled his passion for social justice and helped to develop his skills that enhanced his AIDS advocacy a decade later.

When AIDS surfaced in the Latino/Artistic Community in the 1980’s, Joey embraced political advocacy with a passion that included art that reflected its impact on his local community.

Joey has been an activist in the HIV/AIDS community and has coordinated multiple programs for people living with HIV/AIDS. He traveled worldwide and last served as the Director of Global Advocacy & Partnerships for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Over the past 5 decades, he has continued to make art and is thrilled to engage with young Queer/Latinx artists, academics, curators, and activists. His work is a considered to be a pioneer influence in the exploration of Queer/Chicano identity and has been acquired by collectors and major museums in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and throughout Europe.