Photo courtesy of the National AIDS Memorial
By Gina Malone
Western North Carolina residents are invited to view a portion of what is considered to be the largest community arts project in history: the AIDS Memorial Quilt. A Tapestry of Love: Echoes of Loss, Voices of Hope includes six of the now 50,000 panels from the quilt and will be on display at REVOLVE Gallery from December 1–13, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. The exhibition, part of the Community Display Program, represents a partnership of the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP), the National AIDS Memorial, the Campaign for Southern Equality and REVOLVE Gallery.
“As a person living with AIDS for 39 years, it is a beautiful piece of art displaying the many souls we lost due to HIV/AIDS,” says Butch Thompson, president of butchOUT and a WNCAP volunteer who serves as a member of the planning committee helping to raise awareness and funding. “I hope people will view the quilt and come away with gratitude and hope. Grateful that the epidemic slowed drastically when new medications came out to help people live longer with AIDS. And hope that we continue to stop the stigma surrounding AIDS. AIDS is not over, and we need to take care of our communities.”
The Quilt came about when, in 1985, human rights activist, author and lecturer Cleve Jones noticed the patchwork quilt-like appearance on walls of placards decorated with the names of those who had died of AIDS. Along with friends, Jones moved forward on a larger project that would become the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Members of the public began sending panels and volunteering to create more panels. Since then, the project has grown steadily throughout the years.
Today, the 54-ton Quilt includes panels that remember more than 110,000 individuals. The Community Display Program allows for greater awareness about HIV/AIDS by working with organizations to display sections from the Quilt in communities all over the country. Besides reminding the public that this disease has not gone away, this project is an indication of how the nation can care for its own.
“During this time of financial cuts to so many programs affecting healthcare, it is very important to remember AIDS still exists and can be managed with proper healthcare and access to early treatment,” Thompson says. “Testing for HIV and PrEP [pre-exposure prophylaxis, a preventive medication] can lead to a greater life expectancy. We must make sure healthcare and organizations such as WNCAP remain funded and viable in the WNC region.”
REVOLVE Gallery is located at 821 Riverside Drive, #179, Asheville. Learn more at wncap.org and AIDSMemorial.org/quilt.
