In connection with the American Quilts exhibition, the Museum is honored to present nine specially selected sections from The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The panels that will be on view include contributions by fashion designers Dolce & Gabbana, Versace, Ralph Lauren, Isaac Mizrahi, and Oscar de la Renta, among others, as well as the original quilt designed by the Milwaukee AIDS Project (now the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, or ARCW).

The AIDS Memorial Quilt, in its entirety, comprises more than 91,000 names on 45,000 panels and is the world’s largest community folk art project. Stitched by individuals and shared by communities, the quilt is a poignant and beautiful tribute to the men, women, and children lost to AIDS. Since the founding of the NAMES Project in 1987, blocks from the AIDS Memorial Quilt have been viewed by more than 18 million people, have raised more than $4 million, and continue to serve as powerful educational tools for preventing new HIV infections.

This special exhibition is open to the public; Museum admission is not required. The dates for the display overlap with Milwaukee’s PrideFest, June 11–13, 2010.

This presentation of the AIDS Memorial Quilt is supported by Greater Milwaukee Foundation Johnson and Pabst LGBT Humanity Fund and the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin. It is organized at the Museum by Mel Buchanan.

Related posts:

1. American Quilts: Selections from the Winterthur Collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum
2. Quilts 1700 – 2010 Exhibition at The V&A
3. Arizona Memorial Museum Association (AMMA) Changes Name to PACIFIC HISTORIC PARKS (PHP)