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This process will, necessarily, bring up many difficult issues for you and your loved ones. But experience shows that these decisions are better made calmly rather than in times of extreme crisis. While it is true that AIDS has moved beyond the gay community, the majority of artists encountered during research for this project were gay men who still exist in a fragile legal situation. Like most who are living with AIDSthe poor and IV drug usersartists are often without the legal resources they need. Without legal advice, your most important decisions may not be made as you would wish.

With the help of a lawyer, you should address important issues with respect to how your art will be distributed after deathwhether it will pass to your family or loved ones, to charity or be sold. The selection of the person who will help implement these decisions after your death is a crucial decision. Whoever you give the responsibility for your work to should be a person who has a sympathetic relationship to your work and who is knowledgeable in your field. This is the person who will carry out your wishes and represent you to the world.

Give yourself time and your work can survive: you are the person who decides how. This will take organizing and inventorying your work, deciding who you trust to care for it and evaluating which programs are best for you. The programs listed in this publication are constantly evolving and you must decide how they may address your needs. Because of their experience, they may offer you ideas about how to find your own solution. No matter what your situation, there are basic steps you can take that will help your work survive:

  • Make an inventory of all your work.
  • Ask for advice, especially legal counsel.
  • Prepare a will with professional help.
  • Above all, start now.