AIDS Quilt Comes to Drew
MADISON, NJ—The AIDS Memorial Quilt, an international symbol of the fight against HIV and AIDS, has been sent to all corners of the globe to raise awareness and help stop the spread of disease. On April 26, several blocks of the quilt will arrive at Drew University, where they will be on display until 28th.
The quilt, which is one of the world’s largest artistic activism projects, was started in 1987 as memorial to those who lost their life to the disease. Now in its 22nd year, it consists of over 47,000 panels, with new ones being added each week.
The NAMES Project Foundation, a California-based non-profit devoted to raising awareness about AIDS, is the quilt’s custodial organization. According to the foundation, the quilt has several purposes, which include providing a creative means for remembrance and healing; increasing public awareness of HIV and AIDS; and raising funds for community-based AIDS service organizations.
The dimensions of most of the panels that comprise the quilt are three feet by six feet. Anyone can make and submit a panel to commemorate the life of a loved one lost to AIDS. There is no charge to have a panel added to the quilt. For more information about panels, please visit www.aidsquilt.org.
Sections of the quilt will go on display at Drew on Sunday, April 26, from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The exhibit will also be open on Monday, April 27, and Tuesday, April 28, from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. For more information about the quilt’s visit to Drew, please contact Peggy Kuntz in the art department at 973/408-3796 or e-mail mkuntz@drew.edu.
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Posted: April 24, 2009
