AIDS Memorial Quilt Will Be on Display

One hundred twenty-eight panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in the Emerson Suites from February 23 to 27. Each three-by-six-foot panel was sewn and decorated by friends and loved ones in commemoration of a person whose life was lost to AIDS.

The display will open with a ceremony and reception at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 23. The exhibit may be viewed Monday through Wednesday between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and on Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, with a closing ceremony to follow. The public is invited to walk quietly among the panels and reflect on the lives of those who have died of AIDS and the responses of loved ones to their tragic loss. Volunteers will continuously read the names of AIDS victims during the course of the exhibit.

Classes and other groups are encouraged to attend. Groups may request a facilitator to address them before or after they view the quilt. For more information or to arrange a tour, contact Steve Booher at 274-1092 or sbooher@ithaca.edu. Requests
for facilitators will be taken until Wednesday, February 19.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt was started in San Francisco in 1987 by the NAMES Project Foundation to increase public awareness of AIDS and provide a creative means for healing. One of the largest ongoing community arts projects in the world, the AIDS quilt has been visited by nearly 15 million people in displays worldwide. The quilt currently has more than 44,000 panels and 84,000 names, including actor Rock Hudson, and Olympic athlete Tom Waddell.

The Ithaca College AIDS Working Group and the Names Project are sponsoring the display, along with cosponsors from several organizations and offices across campus.

For more information on the AIDS quilt, visit www.aidsquilt.org.