Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Task Force Shares New Memorial Design

Design was influenced by community input

Palm Springs, CA

The Palm Springs AIDS Memorial Task Force shared information and new renderings of the
proposed Memorial that will be installed in the Downtown Park in Palm Springs. The new
design, created pro bono by award-winning artist Phillip K. Smith III, encompasses many
suggestions contributed by the community during a series of input-gathering sessions
held earlier this year. At those sessions, participants expressed a desire that the new Memorial design would communicate hope, loss, grief, gratitude, and love, among other concepts and emotions.

Renderings of the Memorial and a comprehensive description of the physical structure and the accompanying virtual site are now available for viewing at https://presentation.psaidsmemorial.org/ .
The project will be presented to the Palm Springs Public Art Commission on October 3 at 5:30 pm
and to the Palm Springs City Council on November 14 at 5:30 pm. These meetings will be open to
the public and members of the community are welcome to comment on the new design.

If approvals are acquired at these meetings and fundraising goals met, the all-volunteer Task Force
will then source fabricators and begin production of the physical Memorial. The goal is to start
fabrication of the Memorial early in 2025 and unveil the Memorial between Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. In addition to the physical structure, an accompanying website component of the Memorial will be created. To facilitate access to this, a QR code will be prominently displayed near the memorial. This virtual site is being designed now, and details will be shared as it progresses.

“The goal of the Palm Springs AIDS Memorial has always been to ensure that the lives of those lost
to HIV and AIDS are never forgotten,” said Mike Richey, Co-Chair National AIDS Memorial and
Task Force member. “We are so pleased that Phillip was able to incorporate so many of the
insightful and heartfelt suggestions, reflections, emotions, concerns, creativity, and vision provided
by the community. He absorbed it all and translated it into this stunning new design. Early feedback
indicates to us that the community appreciates the thoughtfulness that went into this new vision for
the Memorial.”

About the Memorial

Called “The Well of Love,” the Memorial will share three simple messages: Forever Remembered, Forever Loved, and Forever Celebrated. The Memorial will include a distinct space for remembrance and reflection, defined by two entries and two benches in a 20-foot diameter circle. It will feature three
vertical faces that each hold an oval “pool of tears” unique to its message. “Forever Remembered” depicts a single drop of water sending ripples outward, representing the memory of each unique individual lost. “Forever Loved” depicts multiple drops merging together, representing the caregivers, loved
ones, friends, family, medical staff, organizations, and local businesses of the community. “Forever Celebrated” depicts the ripple effects from many drops coming together to create a rippled surface. This represents the lasting effect of the lives celebrated through this Memorial.

“The Palm Springs AIDS Memorial is a well of love in the desert that provides an emotional life
source,” said Phillip K. Smith, III, the Memorial’s creator. “It will be a gathering place for love, in
much the same way that Palm Springs was a gathering place for those with HIV/AIDS early in the
pandemic. People living with HIV/AIDS came to Palm Springs because they knew that this was a
place where they would be cared for and supported. In other words, they knew that they would be
loved here. Love can be expressed through a tear – in both sorrow and joy. A tear can be shed for
the loss of a loved one. And a tear can be shed for the joyful memory of a loved one.”

Smith describes “The Well of Love” as “…a well where tears are deposited, and tears are withdrawn
– both in happiness and in grief. It is a touchstone in the community to never forget the lives of
those lost to HIV/AIDS and to celebrate the ever-present, extensive, loving community of support
that is unique to Palm Springs.”

The Memorial’s vertical orientation is intended to provide the appearance of lifting upward to the
sky. The new design also provides a space for seating and movement in and around the Memorial.
As people approach each of the three “pools of tears” they will see themselves reflected in the
Memorial along with the surrounding desert landscape and changing sky. As they see their own
reflection in the Memorial, they will add their own stories, memories, and emotions to the collective
pool of grief, loss, hope, and joy. This will also be a function of the ‘virtual’ component.

At each of the two entries to the Memorial there will be a bronze plaque embedded with a QR code.
This will lead visitors to an online experience which will provide deeper engagement with the
Memorial. By including text explanations and additional support materials online, this portion of the
Memorial will be able to be updated, edited, and enhanced, allowing the Memorial to be a timeless,
changing experience

The Task Force intends to create a robust, poetic online experience that will potentially provide
elements such as explanations of the Memorial concepts, audio stories of people’s experiences in
Palm Springs at the height of the epidemic, the ability to record their own stories, educational
information about HIV/AIDS, and much more. This portion of the project is being developed in
parallel with the Memorial’s fabrication schedule and will be completed at the same time as the
physical Memorial

The materials used to create the Memorial will include milled warm-toned marble or granite that
offers warm and desert tones. The three oval faces of the Memorial will be 1.5 to 2-inch thick-cast
glass with three-dimensional water ripples on front faces, enhancing the tactile experience. The
area around the Memorial and its accompanying benches will be fabricated out of desert-toned precast concrete

At the base of each oval face, an in-ground uplight will cast light across the dimensional water
ripples of the three different glass faces. Existing landscape and site lighting surrounding the
Memorial will provide additional overall lighting. In particular, the uplighting on the two adjacent
Mesquite trees to the East and West of the Memorial will provide a beautifully lit саnору embracing
the Memorial.

“This new Memorial design would not have been possible without the community’s generous
sharing of excellent ideas, raw emotions, and intimate memories during our series of Listening
Sessions and our Town Hall,” Smith concluded. “We hope that the community feels that its voice
has been heard and supports the intent of this Memorial, which is to ensure the lives of those lost to
HIV/AIDS are never forgotten.”

The Task Force continues to welcome all contribution levels to support this important project. The
Task Force has partnered with DAP Health to act as a fiscal processing agent for 501(c)(3)
donations. Donations may be made at https://psaidsmemorial.org/community-leadership-donortiers/ .