Power of Remembrance: AIDS Memorial Quilt Panels

Exhibition 
Details

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a labor of love begun by volunteers.

Quilting has long been a communal activity, bringing people together to create something useful, passing down stories and traditions from one generation to another. The AIDS Memorial Quilt was first imaged by Human rights activist Cleve Jones in 1985 from his desire to remember those who had died from AIDS-related illnesses. Jones, with Mike Smith, founded the NAMES Project, turning their grief and anger into action. 

Initially working with a small group of volunteers out of their headquarters in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood, they stitched together 3x6 panels onto 12 ft square Quilt blocks. Jones stated, "The workshop was magical and at the same time devastating...There wasn't a day that I didn't cry, but the miracle of it was that over the sound of the sewing machines you'd hear laughter." 

The first large-scale display was on the National Mall, Washington, DC, on October 11, 1987, revealing 1,920 panels, each recognizing multiple individuals. The following year, the Quilt has grown to 8,288 panels. The last showing of the entire Quilt was in 1996, with more than 41,000 panels covering thirty acres. While medical advances have helped slow the effects of the AIDS virus for individuals, there still is no cure and the National AIDS Memorial continues to receive new panels daily, which are shown in numerous displays each year. 

The DAI is proud to present six, 12ft x 12ft, panels on loan from the National AIDS Memorial, a complement to our Special Exhibition, Wall Power! Spectacular Quilts from the American Folk Art Museum.

Related Programs: Educational programming and activities will accompany this exhibition and are currently being established.

Sponsors

Promoting Sponsor
Premier Health

Additional Support
Rubi Girls
John Cummings
Dr. Robert L Brandt Jr

Circle of Friends
Alice, Bee, Kate, & Steve Edstrom
Chad McCoy
Colin Altman
Compunet
Dora
Edward Lehman
Edward McGatha
Fidelity Healthcare
John Fabelo
Katee, Emily, & Parker Yantis-Houser
Michael Kammer
Steven Nutt
The Contemporary Dayton
The Graul Chair at the University of Dayton
University of Dayton College of Arts & Sciences
University of Dayton Department of Visual & Performing Arts