In February, 1990, doctors told Gina that...

In February, 1990, doctors told Gina that she had AIDS. “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring,” she later wrote, “but one thing is for sure: This story could be yours.”

Gina’s message was a response to the question, “What do you want your community to know about your experience with AIDS?”

That question, posed by two artists, forms the basis for a powerful exhibit now in its final week at Loyola Marymount University’s Von der Ahe Library.

The exhibit, titled “This Is Our Yard,” includes 22 color photographs of men and women from Orange County whose lives have been touched by AIDS. Short statements by each person, in English and Spanish, accompany the photographs.

In their own statement, photographers Jerry McGrath and Mary-Linn Hughes said they wanted “to give people living with AIDS and HIV, their family members, lovers, care-givers and service providers, a forum to share their stories with their neighbors. More importantly, it is an opportunity for all of us to learn by listening to what they say.”

McGrath, who teaches photography at El Camino College, said the title of the exhibit challenges the “not in my back yard” sentiment that people can just ignore AIDS and escape responsibility for dealing with it.

“AIDS affects everybody,” McGrath said. “This is our yard. The exhibit is not just about the people in the photographs. It’s about all of us.”

Justine Clancy, head of special collections and coordinator of exhibitions at the library, said the photographs serve an important educational purpose.

“When you see the people in the photographs, they are no longer just a statistic,” she said. “They are very real.”

A dose of reality is often the missing ingredient in AIDS education. In his message, Ron Talamantez-Navarez wrote that AIDS “is only preventable if personalized. I had the knowledge and information to protect myself, but I didn’t see myself as being at risk.”

McGrath and Hughes, a photography teacher at Irvine Valley College, met many of the people they photographed through AIDS organizations. Others approached them after hearing about the project.

“Each person selected where they wanted to be photographed,” Hughes said. “It was very moving and extremely inspiring. There’s so much misinformation about AIDS. These people interrupt a lot of the stereotypes.”

Elaine Saito, an AIDS peer counselor, wrote: “We cannot hide behind a wall of silence. We need to replace ignorance and fear with knowledge and compassion.”

The exhibit runs through Saturday. The photographs are displayed on the lower level of the library, which is at Loyola Boulevard and West 80th Street in Los Angeles. The library is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to midnight. Admission is free.