Beyond the Names Project Quilts: 15th Anniversary
In 1992, the Five College AIDS/STD Committee began a quilt project memorializing those lost to HIV and AIDS while giving students a way to personally respond to the crisis. More than 1,000 students addressed the statement “This is how I feel about HIV and AIDS” by creating commemorative squares, which were sewn into panels of 45 squares each.
A collection of these panels will be on display from November 5-November 9th at the UMass Amherst’s Student Union Gallery in the Student Union Building. Throughout the week, gallery visitors can add their voices to the project by creating their own quilt square.
The panels on display were designed by UMass Amherst and Amherst College students between 1992 and 1998. Many were created in memory of people lost to HIV and AIDS; others express the feelings of those living withHIV. Some contain messages of hope, others of prevention. Collectively, they provide a look into the hearts and minds while giving viewers a historical perspective often lost today.
For more information, call Health Education department, (413) 577-5181, or the Everywoman’s Center, (413) 545-0883.
This event is free, wheelchair accessible and open to the public.
