Submitted by: Sarah Brackett, sbrackett1@uca.edu on 09/30/2024
Considered the largest community arts project in history, The AIDS Memorial Quilt is the premiere symbol of the AIDS pandemic, a living memorial to a generation of victims lost to AIDS and an important education tool. For over 35 years, individuals and groups have created Quilt panels to honor, remember, and celebrate the stories and lives of their loved ones. Today, there are roughly 50,000 panels dedicated to more than 110,000 individuals in this epic 54-ton tapestry.
Panels are created to be the size of a standard coffin and are assembled together into 12′ x 12′ quilt “blocks,” and the UCA College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, in collaboration with UCA Public Appearances, is bringing two of these blocks to campus to be displayed at Reynolds Performance Hall from October 1st-13th. These blocks were specifically selected for their direct ties to Arkansas, and the October 1st opening and remembrance tribute will mark the beginning of The Quilt display.
Among those speaking at the event are Representative Tippi McCullough, and Reverend Ellen Alston from Hendrix College, along with author & humanitarian Ruth Coker Burks, who cared for and buried numerous AIDS patients when they were abandoned by family. The event will remember four local Arkansans who died from AIDS related causes, and there will be a virtual display of all Arkansas panels in The Quilt. The event will also feature music by the UCA Choir, UCA Percussion Ensemble, and Dr. Nave Graham, flute.
The appearance of The Quilt in 2024 is also a part of LGBTQ+ History Month and is part of the CAHSS Artists in Residence series.
https://uca.edu/cahss/artists-in-residence/
