WNCAP will present portions of the famous AIDS Memorial Quilt through Saturday, June 22 at the Asheville Masonic Temple. Admission is free and open to the public from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm daily.
The exhibit coincides with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, placing the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the broader context of the LGBTQ rights movement.
“It was important to us that HIV/AIDS be a part of the conversation around the 50th anniversary of Stonewall,” said Executive Director Antonio del Toro. “As we look back over fifty years of LGBTQ activism, we must never forget those who passed away from AIDS-related causes. Their activism and sacrifice led us to where we are today.”
The AIDS Memorial Quilt began in June 1987 when a small group of activists 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 HIV/AIDS. 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 2016, the quilt included more than 49,000 panels representing over 97,000 people and it continues to grow. It is a memorial to those lost, a tool for preventing new HIV infections, and the world’s largest ongoing community art project.
The 2019 WNCAP Quilt Exhibit includes sixteen 12×12 foot blocks, each one made up of 6 or more individual panels. Many of the panels memorialize people from the local Western North Carolina area who passed away. Others are more far-flung, such as celebrity panels honoring Freddie Mercury, Liberace, Arthur Ashe, and Eazy-E, and one panel honoring all who participated in the Stonewall Riots. It is a solemn and moving exhibit, but also an inspiring display of the love and activism that was generated by the AIDS epidemic.
The Asheville Masonic Temple is located at 80 Broadway Street, Asheville, NC, 28801. Please visit wncap.org/june-17-22-aids-memorial-quilt-exhibit/ for additional information.
Photograph: 2018 AIDS Memorial Quilt / WNCAP.