AIDS Quilt in DC, 1992
Photo: Mark Thiessen
Photo: Paul Margolies
Photo: Hiram Ruiz
AIDS Quilt in DC, 1992
Photo: Mark Thiessen
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Date: 1987
Site: Internationally travelling project
History & Description: The was an idea born in San Francisco in 1987.
The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
has become the most compelling symbol of
the epidemic, "an eloquent reminder of our collective loss and a call to
action to our political leaders." It began as one small community's response
to a devastating illness, and grown into the largest community art project
in the world. In classrooms and community centers, in museums and art
galleries, in houses of worship and places of work, from Cedar Falls, Iowa
to Los Angeles, Minneapolis to Washington DC, the quiet persistent voice of
the Quilt speaks the stories of this pandemic: people of all races, creeds,
sexual orientations and political beliefs, remember on panels sewn side by
side, held together by a single shared fate. The Names Project Foundation,
with its 49 chapters and 38 international affiliates, will continue to
spread the Quilt's message of HIV prevention education, awareness and
tolerance until AIDS has ended. To date over 12 million people have viewed
and experienced the Quilt.
Started in 1995 with a goal of establishing a lasting record of the Quilt,
the AIDS Memorial Quilt Archive now contains both large-format
transparencies and digital images of all of the nearly 43,000 panels of the
Quilt. Updated as new panels are added, the collection images are
repurposed calendars, prints, and products (which are sold or used as
incentives for donations). The Archive also includes all documents submitted
with panels over the past decade-including letters, personal recollections,
photographs, biographies. Combined with films, videos and media collections,
this Archive represents the largest repository of personal information about
individuals affected by HIV/AIDS. Used by researchers, the Archive now is
engaged in a 10-year project to combine all of its collection into one
easily-accessible, searchable database.
Portions of the quilt have toured the US, including a stop at the Metrodome
in the Twin Cities ten years ago. In 1996 I saw the entire Quilt in
Washington, where it filled the Capitol mall for three days, accompanied by
candle light vigils, a joining of 10,000 hands around the Capitol building,
and the constant reading of names on three stages with amplified sound
(including some celebrity readers, such as Elizabeth Taylor). Of course
images of the installation were printed in most major newspapers, and the
President and Vice President toured the site. There were estimates of over
300,000 visitors over the 3 days (nearby Taste of DC festival brought
thousands more). Many were there to simply gawk at the spectacle, a gigantic
folk art piece, very colorful and full of personal stories or anecdotes.
At least 1,000 volunteers help set it up and take it down every morning and
night (I was told that, in the event of rain, they could fold it up and put
it under tarps within 90 seconds). This army of helpers were trained to help
people find their way about (there was also a directory, with chronological
placement of panels), and to provide security. They were also trained to
fold it up a special way to insure safe storage and transport.
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