Death Had Mercy, Waited 2 Days

Kevin Barros made it to the art opening he’d always dreamed of, just in time.

Less than 48 hours after attending his much anticipated Friday night opening of an exhibit of his work, Lifelines: Share the Journey at The Grove Gallery,Barros died from complications of Hodgkins lymphoma.

Barros had been living with HIV for 13 years before being diagnosed with cancer last April. He continued to paint and create even as his condition worsened. As reported in a recent New Haven Independent story, Barros had credited his immersion in the arts with saving and improving his quality of life since beginning his artistic journey five years ago at art therapy classes offered through AIDS Project New Haven (APNH) in conjunction with the Albertus Magnus College art therapy program.

APNH executive director Chris Cole said that while the agency serves several hundred clients, Barros was ​“by far, part of the fabric of who we are as a community and agency. He was always available to volunteer for special events, fund raisers, or to help prepare holiday packages.” Cole also noted the important role that Barros had in the men’s support group and as an anchor of the art therapy program.

Last Friday, as friends, visitors and well-wishers ascended the stairs to the Grove Gallery exhibit, Barros, whose condition had greatly deteriorated in recent weeks, appeared frail of body. Still, his winning smile greeted all who attended. He had made it to his own opening exhibition — an achievement complete with a figurative victory lap that was celebrated among friends the night of the opening. He was joking, as usual. For the first time in three days he was eating.

A registered nurse and self-described ​“realist,” Barros knew his chances of surviving the stage 4 cancer aggressively moving throughout his body did not afford him many additional days. Friday’s opening was as much an opportunity to celebrate his life as it was to take pleasure in his first, and as it turned out, last art exhibit.

Evie Lindemann, associate professor and clinical coordinator of the master of arts in the Art Therapy Program at Albertus Magnus College, noted that Barros’s contribution went beyond the painted canvases now occupying walls at The Grove: ​“So close to the end of his life he was able to discover not only various aspects of his artist self, but finding he could share a more public face depicting his journey. Don’t we all want to find courage in ourselves? Kevin found it and offered it to the rest of us,” she said.

Grove Gallery co-curator Elinor Slomba, noted how differently art works present themselves outside the studio in a more formal setting. ​“Kevin got to be wowed by his own creations and to see the relationship of the works to one another,” but also to the work of fellow artist and friend, Abdul Hallou, who has several pieces in the exhibit.

Slomba also sounded a cautionary note about the disease which had compromised Barros’s health for over a decade: ​“It’s important to be reminded that AIDS is not in the past. It’s not part of history. For some, its a brutal reality. However, Kevin managed to show us great beauty and continues to invite us to share the journey.”

While there will be no formal services for Barros in New Haven, relatives who have arrived from out of state plan to tour the exhibit at The Grove, at 760 Chapel St., on Tuesday at 1 p.m.

Lifelines: Share the Journey, will continue through Sept. 4, daily, during regular business hours. Proceeds from the sale of work will benefit Aids Project New Haven and help with Barros family expenses. For more information contact Elinor Slomba at 203 – 812-9093.