Apr

The AIDS Memorial Quilt will unfold at this year’s Folklife Festival

The 2012 Smithsonian Folklife Festival will commemorate the 25th anniversary of the AIDS Memorial Quilt through its program, “Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt.” The program will use The Quilt and its artistry to explore the community crafts and performances that developed during the past 30 years in response to the devastating effects of HIV and AIDS. Festival visitors will learn how individuals and organizations have been educating communities and coping with one of the most complex epidemics in modern history. “Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt” is produced in partnership with The NAMES Project Foundation.

The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage invites members of the Smithsonian community to request specific Quilt panels for display on the National Mall during the Folklife Festival. There will be three different displays of The Quilt on the Mall, each display consisting of approximately 300 blocks. Each block measures 12’ x 12’ and is made up of eight 3’ x 6’ panels. Panels are made in honor of people who have died from AIDS.

If there is a panel you would like to see displayed during the Festival, please e-mailpanel_requests@aidsquilt.org with as much of the following information as you can by May 15.

Block Number (if you know it, if not see below)
Name on the Panel
Panel Maker’s Name
Your Name
Your E-mail
Your Phone Number
Your preferred display date: June 27 – June 29; June 30 – July 1 and July 4 (the Festival is closed July 2-3); July 5 – July 8

To locate a specific Quilt block number or panel listing, go to http://www.aidsquilt.org/view-the-quilt/search-the-quilt and enter either the block number or the name on the panel.

For additional information about the “Creativity and Crisis: Unfolding The AIDS Memorial Quilt” program and the other programs featured at this year’s Smithsonian Folklife Festival, please visit www.festival.si.edu.