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Creator
Getso, Robert, 1962-2014
Call number
MssCol 18095
Physical description
.42 linear feet (1 box); 1 dvd
Preferred Citation
Robert Getso ACT UP collection, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Manuscripts and Archives Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

The Robert Getso ACT UP collection documents HIV/AIDS activism undertaken by members of ACT UP and the Costas.

Biographical/historical information

Robert Getso (1962-2014) was an activist and visual artist whose work focused on HIV/AIDS activism. His photographs mostly document ACT UP during their active years from the late 1980s to the 1990s. Getso was also a member of the Costas, an affinity group within ACT UP. The Costas was named after artist and activist Costa Pappas (died 1990).

Scope and arrangement

The Robert Getso ACT UP collection, dated from 1987 to 2012, reflects the documentary work of Robert Getso mostly through photographs. The pictures document ACT UP and the Costas at demonstrations including locations in New York City, Albany, Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Montreal, Canada. The photographs show active demonstrations, candid shots of activists and supporters, images from an exhibition entitled "Let the Record Show" at the New Museum, and a "Don't Thread on Me" patch designed by Robert Getso and Costa Pappas. The video of The ACT UP "March on Washington" was shot by Robert Getso and Tim Landers.

Arrangement

The photographs are arranged alphabetically by title of images.

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Donated by Robert Getso, 2009 and 2012.

Processing information

Compiled by Valerie Wingfield, 2017.

Using the collection

Location

Manuscripts and Archives Division
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328