AIDS Quilt Shown at UCSD November 30 in Recognition of World AIDS Day

November 17, 2006

By Pat JaCoby

In recognition of World AIDS Day, a public viewing of the AIDS Memorial Quilt is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 in the Price Center Ballroom at the University of California, San Diego. The event is free and open to the public.

The UCSD display consists of three sections of the Quilt that have emerged as San Diego organizations and individuals responded to the AIDS crisis, both in the early years of the epidemic and through the present day.   Each "block" (or section) of The AIDS Memorial Quilt measures approximately 12 feet square, and a typical block consists of eight individual three foot by six foot panels sewn together. Virtually every one of the more than 40,000 colorful panels that make up the entire Quilt memorializes the life of a person lost to AIDS. 

Founded in 1987, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is a poignant memorial, a powerful tool for use in preventing new HIV infections, and the largest ongoing community arts project in the world.  As the epidemic continues claiming lives around the world and here in the United States, the Quilt continues to grow and to reach more communities with its messages of remembrance, awareness and hope. 
For more information about the quilt, visit http://www.aidsquilt.org. For a map and directions to the Price Center Ballroom, please visit http://maps.ucsd.edu.

Along with the AIDS Quilt, UCSD will sponsor a number of other events in recognition of World AIDS Day.  A morning vigil will take place from 7 a.m. until 9 a.m. at the Price Center Ballroom open to anyone for private reflection and remembrance.  Throughout the day at the Quilt display, more specific multi-media presentations will be ongoing.  A photography exhibit "Living Proof: Courage in the face of AIDS" by Carolyn Jones will be on display, as well as a Wall of Remembrance for those to reflect on those who have been affected. 

Red ribbons and condom “roses” will be handed out at UCSD’s Library Walk throughout the day.  A Path of Remembrance will be on the grounds near Library Walk documenting the 25 years of HIV/AIDS with 25 milestones for participants to traverse.

At 3 p.m. at the Price Center Ballroom, a dramatic telling of the impact of HIV/AIDS on people’s lives will be performed.  This powerful presentation will draw on the lived experiences of UCSD community members and their personal journeys within the pandemic.

 

Contacts: Shaun Travers, (858) 822-3493, Pat JaCoby, 858 534-7404