In June of 1987, a small group of strangers gathered in a San Francisco storefront to document the lives they feared history would neglect.
Their goal was to create a memorial for those who had died of AIDS, and to thereby help people understand the devastating impact of the disease. This meeting of devoted friends and lovers served as the foundation of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Today the Quilt is a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic. More than 48,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels — most commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS — have been sewn together by friends, lovers and family members.
The entire quilt is 54 tons and contains more that 48,000 panels. For the past 8 years, a portion of the quilt has been on display in Asheville. This year is no exception:
- Sunday, November 20 – Saturday, November 26
- 10AM – 7PM (closed Thanksgiving)
- Renaissance Hotel Ballroom
- 31 Woodfin Street, Asheville
- Free to view
WNCAP sponsors a week-long exhibit of the National AIDS Quilt. 20 blocks of the Quilt will be on display. Today the Quilt is a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic and consists of more than 48,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels. We honor all of those impacted by HIV/ AIDS by bringing 20 blocks of the Quilt panels to Asheville for a week of commemoration and awareness.
WNCAP is the Western North Carolina AIDS Project.