NEW YORK CITY: 2000 AIDS Quilt Panels To Be Displayed August 11th & 12th

Via press release:

The AIDS Memorial Quilt returns to New York City for a two-day public display, featuring 260 12-foot-by-12-foot sections of this internationally celebrated, handmade tapestry. Presented as a gift to the city by Kiehl's Since 1851, the Governor's Island display will begin with a special opening ceremony/press opportunity at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11. This opening dedication is a part of the fifth annual Kiehl's LifeRide for amfAR, a charity motorcycle ride that raises funds and awareness for amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, which is dedicated to ending the global AIDS epidemic.

The Quilt display is free and open to the public and will be on view from 10 a.m. to 6:45 p.m. on August 11 and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12. The display will feature more than 2,000 panels honoring over 5,014 individuals including many created by and for individuals who call New York home as well as panels created by leading fashion houses like Giorgio Armani, Anna Sui, Ralph Lauren and BCBG to honor those in the industry who were lost to the pandemic. In recognition of the annual Kiehl's LifeRide for amfAR, a new panel for The Quilt created by Kiehl's will also be unveiled and dedicated at this event.

Governor's Island is accessible by ferries.

Note to younger readers: If you've never seen the Quilt, please consider going. You will find it overwhelmingly moving.

Kickstarter For AIDS Quilt Documentary

From the website for The Last One:

Now more than 50 miles long were it to be laid out end-to-end, The AIDS Memorial Quilt is too large to display in any one location. Yet, even at this size, it does not begin to reflect the number of people who have succumbed to the pandemic. As the film traces The Quilt's history and continued growth, we examine how stigma, discrimination, social status and the lack of access to care exacerbate a disease that has already claimed the lives of roughly 30 million people and currently infects another 34 million men, women and children around the globe--including 50,000 new infections a year in the US alone.

Help fund the film here.

20 Years Ago Today

Twenty years ago today I joined hundreds of thousands of LGBT Americans for the 1993 March On Washington, the event that changed me forever, turning me from a stereotypical early 30s clubbing-crazed party boy/casual activist into whatever it is I am today. While South Beach certainly had no shortage of gay mega-clubs at the time, I'd never been in such a gigantic crowd of my people. Heck, before that March On Washington I'd never even attended a major city gay pride event, unless you count Tampa Pride 1985. Which I don't, no offense to Tampa.

But ascending that dizzying Dupont Circle subway escalator as cheers poured down upon every wave of new arrivals, well, let's just say I still get goosebumps thinking about that moment.  Bill Clinton had just taken office after twelve relentlessly depressing years of Reagan/Bush and the sense of optimism and possibility consumed every one of us.  I know that I still attended all of the huge dance parties which initially drew to me DC that weekend, but today I can't recall one minute of them, not even where they were held.

What I do remember is my visit to the NAMES Project display, meeting Michael Callen, my purchases from the many t-shirt and button vendors, coming home every day covered with stickers, our straining to hear the speakers from what felt like miles from the stage, and the long, hot, fun afternoon waiting to step off with the Florida contingent, which included a marching band playing Be My Guest from Beauty And The Beast. (They played it a LOT.)

VIDEO: The first clip features Callen singing his classic Love Don't Need A Reason. Callen died of AIDS several months after the March. The second clip includes a visit to the AIDS Quilt.

At The 1996 AIDS March In DC

I was going through my ex's photo albums here in Fort Lauderdale last night and found this shot I took at the 1996 National AIDS Candlelight March in Washington DC.  That's NAMES Project founder Cleve Jones near the center, with Judith Light to his left.  Further to the right in the grey jacket is Betty Buckley.  On the far left is current DC House Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and to her left in the leopard jacket is Valerie Harper. The gentleman in the white suit is Jim Graham, who is now on the Washington DC City Council.  

Elizabeth Taylor was ill that weekend and participated in the march from a golf cart, but I couldn't get near her due to a mob of press and only got a blurry photo of the back of her head as she went by.  It was an unspeakably moving night and the next day President Clinton and the First Lady walked with Cleve to view the Quilt, which spanned the Mall from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument.  Today the Quilt is headquartered in Atlanta, where JMG reader Gert McMullin oversees its safety and makes laborious daily repairs as panels return from displays around the world.

Photo Of The Day

Via the White House.

WASHINGTON: Continental Staffers Honored At Dulles AIDS Quilt Display

The travel blog Jaunted was moved to tears.

Ever just started crying in an airport? Until this week, we'd have answered "no"—and even this week, it wasn't anything to do with our flight. No, it was the sheer power of the blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt currently on display at Washington Dulles, and in particular this block, "Sewn with love by the flight attendants of Continental Airlines." Over a hundred men (and, potentially, women, though we didn't spot any specifically female names) from Continental and its predecessor airlines—Texas International, Frontier, PEOPLExpress, and New York Air—are memorialised in this one block. More poignant still: the square appliqués with every name are all bordered with the material from the ties of each airline, with the five uniforms, pins, buttons and memorabilia also appliquéd between the clouds below. And a rainbow lei down the bottom. We simply can't imagine the time, love and remembrance that the flight attendants of Continental—now, of course, United—put into this Quilt block.

Hit the link for a slideshow of more AIDS Quilt panels at Dulles. (Via JMG reader thatjohn)

RELATED: As part of the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival, the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display on the National Mall and at over 50 other DC locations for five days beginning this Saturday.

AIDS Quilt Returns To DC

The AIDS Quilt Needs Volunteers

The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in the nation's capital this summer. And they need your help.

Smithsonian AIDS Quilt Exhibit

Panels from the NAMES Project will be on display as part of this summer's Smithsonian Folklife Festival on Washington DC's National Mall. The exhibit runs June 27th to July 1st and July 1st thru July 4th. When last measured, the AIDS Quilt weighed 54 tons in its entirety. It's the largest piece of community folk art in the world. Bring Kleenex.

The AIDS Quilt: 25 Years Later

Video by Sean Chapin.

The Handmaiden Of The Quilt

Gentle readers, with the author's permission, I am posting a late comment to last month's post regarding the NY Times article about the AIDS Memorial Quilt. Gert McMullin is the "Handmaiden Of The Quilt", the person directly responsible for its maintenance, repair, and upkeep. Here's her beautiful and touching message:

Joe, the following is in response to some of your readers:

Yes, the entire QUILT has been archived and cataloged. This happens as soon as each 12x12 is sewn together. And to clear things up for some of your readers....all fabric will show its age with time. Any museum can tell you this. We do the best we can while taking into consideration that this QUILT was made to fight AIDS, not to be put behind glass in a museum. Yes it is on shelves in Atlanta....just as it was on shelves in San Francisco.

It does not sit and rot on those shelves. That would happen "over my dead body". We do many displays each year. Would we like to do more? Without a question, YES. But, unfortunately the solution to that is what we are sometimes lacking in, and that's funding.

The QUILT is loved and cared for as it has always been. Hundreds of my dear beloved friends lay on those shelves. I care for them every day. They are all my boys. They are safe. They are not rotting. They are not sitting in storage. They are loved.

Remember not everything you read in the paper is always accurate. Sometimes a simple phone call (or if you are nearby) a visit to our warehouse would ease these rumors. We are open 7 days a week for people to visit and/or view panels they have made for the QUILT. We welcome everyone.

Gert McMullin
Handmaiden of the QUILT
The NAMES Project
AIDS Memorial QUILT

JMG: "They are all my boys." Tissues all around, gentle readers? Please consider sending Gert McMullin a message of support and thanks for her dedication and hard work in keep our history alive: gert_mcmullin@aidsquilt.org. Better yet, help our Handmaiden do her job by making a contribution to the NAMES Project. Pictured below: Gert cares for her boys.

A Response From The AIDS Quilt Director

Last weekend, my houseguest was my former boss, Jerry Suarez, his visit coincidentally beginning just a couple of days after I'd blogged about him in my post regarding the New York Times article about the AIDS Quilt. Jerry has been associated with the Quilt for almost 20 years now, starting in Miami as a panel maker for his father and brother, then as head of the Florida chapter of the NAMES Project.

Today Jerry lives in Los Angeles and is on the national board of directors for the AIDS Quilt. Before Jerry's suitcase had even hit my living room floor, he had Julie Rhoad, the executive director of the NAMES Project on the phone with me. Julie and I has a nice chat about the Times article, some misperceptions that she felt it may have caused, and the current successes and challenges for the Quilt and its dedicated workers. Below is her passionate letter to the readers of this blog. Please read it. And please consider making your own donation to the AIDS Quilt.

Dear Joe.My.God readers:

I want to thank you all who have responded to Joe's blog regarding The AIDS Memorial Quilt. Your passion is evident in your responses, and the amount of interest the topic generated serves to discount the assertion that The Quilt may have "lost its punch."

And Joe, to your point, ­ I understand that you relayed an interpretation of the Times article in which Jesse McKinley did speculate that perhaps The Quilt is less effective than it once was. The reality is that the suggestion that The Quilt has been either languishing or rotting on the shelves in Atlanta couldn't be further from the truth. If you measure the success of the organization by our display activity then here are some facts:

-In the years since our move, display activity across the country has increased by more than 80%.

-In each of the last three years, more than half of the nearly 6,000 12 x 12 foot sections of the Quilt have been on display in venues throughout the United States, including notable venues like the United Nations, the Library of Congress and hundreds of equally important venues:­ high schools, middle schools, faith institutions, corporations, government centers and more.

-The tremendous growth in our display activity has increased our ability to provide high schools, middle schools and faith-based institutions with the Quilt for little or no charge,­ as a result, display activities in those areas have increased by more than 300% since the move.

In reading the string of responses, I heard a couple of concerns and opinions about conservation, archiving, digitizing, and using The Quilt to educate and inform audiences today as well as future generations. The work we have put into securing The Quilt and its Archive directly serves our mission and will help us expand our efforts to obtain the kind of support we will need to make digitization plans a reality.

This is a massive undertaking and it will take years to accomplish, ­however, the first crucial step has been taken, we secured the designation as an American Treasure - a nationally significant, cultural, folk-art collection that is an important component of our culture and heritage that helps to explain America's past to future generations.

So why have we been silent, or rather quiet about our accomplishments? In part, because we were silenced by the lawsuit filed against the agency, and in part because this administration inherited a significant amount of debt in 2001 (that had been pushed forward for years), along with a crumbling infrastructure to try and restore. Our efforts were first and foremost dedicated to rebuilding our core program activities: ­ displaying the Quilt, caring for the Quilt and the archive, caring for panel makers new and old, and in general, rebuilding the agency.

We have succeeded in many areas. We have chipped away, but not retired the debt. (It probably goes without saying that it's very difficult to fundraise when you have debt and when you are being sued.) The records demonstrate that we have revitalized the display program, and according to Gert McMullin (our production manager and conservator), the Quilt itself is in the best physical shape it has been in since the early years.

As you consider the state of The Quilt and your perceptions of its value in today's society, I ask you to recognize that with the founding of The Quilt, The NAMES Project fostered the creation of visual testimony ­evidence ­that offered solace to the grieving and helped give voice to AIDS activism. By caring for and organizing thousands of displays, The NAMES Project and its volunteers and partners have transformed the narratives of remembrance into a provocative cultural record that is one of the most potent HIV prevention and educational teaching tools in existence.

Today the Quilt is viewed as the social intersection of understanding - the fabric of the panels reflects more than the individual stories of the men, women, and children lost. When presented and analyzed as a collection, the panels truly serve as a mirror reflecting our society's struggles, responses, and attitudes toward the most complex human disease epidemic of modern history.

In closing, I would like to reiterate my sincere appreciation for the passion you have expressed for The Quilt. ­ I share your concerns and am more than willing to talk about The NAMES Project and The Quilt whenever invited to do so. I encourage you to visit us, host a display, make a panel or help someone who is struggling with their grief. And of course I encourage you to donate to The NAMES Project. We are rich in many ways, but sadly, we lack adequate funding.

Julie Rhoad
Executive Director
The NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt

JMG: My heartful thanks go out to Julie Rhoad, Jerry Suarez, and all of the dedicated employees and volunteers of the NAMES Project/AIDS Memorial Quilt.
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