AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Masonic Temple, Nov. 26-Dec. 1

Press release from Western North Carolina AIDS Project:

From Monday, November 26th through Saturday, December 1st, 2018, WNCAP will present portions of the famous AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Masonic Temple in downtown Asheville (80 Broadway Street, Asheville, NC, 28801). The exhibit is free and open to the public from 10am-7pm (10am-4:30pm on Monday, November 26th).

The Quilt began in the June 1987 when a small group gathered in San Francisco to document the lives they feared history would neglect. Their goal was to create a memorial for those who had died of AIDS-related causes, 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.

In 1987, 1,920 panels were first displayed in the nation’s capital during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, to highlight the scale of the epidemic. By 2007, the Quilt included more than 46,000 panels representing over 80,000 people and it continues to grow. It is a memorial to those lost to AIDS-related causes, a tool for preventing new HIV infections, and the world’s largest ongoing community art project.

The WNCAP Quilt Exhibit includes twenty 12×12 foot blocks, each one made up of 8 or more individual panels, pay tribute to those who died from AIDS-related causes. Many of the panels memorialize people from the local Western North Carolina area who passed away. Others are more far-flung, such as one block made entirely of international panels. It is a solemn and moving exhibit, but also an inspiring display of the love and activism that was generated by the AIDS epidemic.

We are still looking for volunteers to be exhibit hosts, or “docents”, for the Quilt display. Exhibit hosts will greet exhibit-goers, provide them with an information card and act as a pleasant and professional representative of WNCAP and monitor of the Quilt. Contact Chris at wncapvolunteer@wncap.org or call (828) 252-7489 ext. 315 to schedule your 3-hour shift.

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