SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- California College of the Arts will host an exhibition of entries received from throughout the world for the National AIDS Memorial Design Competition. The exhibition will run from Monday, January 17, through Friday, January 21, 2005 (8 a.m.–9 p.m.) at the CCA San Francisco campus. There will be a reception honoring Bay Area entrants from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 19. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

The National AIDS Memorial Design Competitionis intended to identify a design that will deepen both the visual and spiritual impact of the National AIDS Memorial Grove, located in Golden Gate Park. The competition received nearly 200 entries from 21 states and 22 countries. The CCA exhibition is a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see all of the competition entries together in one place. Names of the finalists will be released during a press conference to be held at the exhibition site, Tuesday, January 18, at 11 a.m. The winning design will be announced on April 1, 2005, at a reception at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

The jurors for the competition include Walter Hood, professor of landscape architecture, UC Berkeley; Sunil Gupta, HIV-positive photographer; Mary Miss, environmental artist, sculptor, and filmmaker; Toshiko Mori, chair of Harvard School of Design; Joseph Rosa, curator of architecture and design, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Ken Ruebush, co-chair, board of directors, National AIDS Memorial.

Serving on the Design Competition Honorary Committee are Judith Light (co-chair), Aaron and Chrissy Brody, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Stanlee Gatti, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Bill T. Jones, Jack Lenor Larson, Norman and Lyn Lear, California Assemblyman Mark Leno, Armistead Maupin, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi, David Rockwell, Sharon Stone, and Robin Williams, among others.