History of the Quilt
In June of 1987, a small group of strangers gathered in a San Francisco storefront to document the lives they feared history would neglect. Their goal was to create a memorial for those who had died of AIDS, and to thereby help people understand the devastating impact of the disease. This meeting of devoted friends and lovers served as the foundation of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
Today the Quilt is a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic. More than 44,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels — most commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS — have been sewn together by friends, lovers and family members. This is the story of how the Quilt began…
Search the quilts for specific names, as well as see pictures of the quilts.
Requesting a Quilt for Display at Your Event
If your organization, church, health fair, etc. is interested in displaying an AIDS Memorial Quilt please contact the Director of Development & Communications, Tim Coyle, or call 302-654-5471. There is a $50 fee for each quilt “rental” that helps pay for the yearly dues and shipping fees – none of which comes cheaply. Special requests for specific quilts should be made as far in advance as possible as quilts now only ship twice per year. General requests should also be made as far in advance as possible to guarantee that quilts are available. Quilts are disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you would like to order a high resolution copy of a certain quilt panel (perhaps a loved one) you can click HERE.