Number of visitors to the Quilt: +18,000,000
Number of names on the Quilt: more than 91,000 (representing only about 18% of all U.S. AIDS deaths)
Size: 1,293,300 square feet (6 city blocks)
Viewing time: To see the entire Quilt spending only one minute per panel - over 33 days
Total Weight: More than 54 tons
Last Full Display: The Mall in Washington, D.C. in 1996
Goal of the Quilt: to honor and remember those who've died of AIDS, to bring awareness to how massive the AIDS pandemic really is, and to bring support and healing to those affected by it.
These are the panels I made to honor my brother, Wayne Hanson and his partner, Don Melvin, who died of AIDS in the mid 1990's. Each individual panel measures 3 feet by 6 feet (roughly the size of a grave).
Eight panels are combined into 12 by 12 foot units that make up the massive quilt.
If you ever get an opportunity to view a portion of the NAMES Quilt in person, don't hesitate. You'll find it a powerfully moving experience.
Good on you for bringing this to our attention. These are the most amazing photos.
ReplyDeleteOh Diane. What to say. Speechless. Thank you for sharing this extremely important and meaningful personal quilt story.
ReplyDeleteI was just thinking about this quilt not too long back. Are they still displaying it (I understand it's too large and can't be shown at once any longer)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your connection to this meaningful quilt.
My sympathy on the loss of your brother and his partner to this horrible disease. The massiveness of the AIDS quilt and the statistics you quote are shocking. Thank you for sharing your story and letting us know that the quilt is connected to bloggers in oh so many ways.
ReplyDeleteDiane i am sorry to hear of your loss.
ReplyDeletethis is a startling perspective on AIDS that i did not have before~!~
i can remember when it was sort of a "new" issue in the U.S. and was talked about constantly but currently the issue is not receiving quite that much attention . . . so it's easy to let it slip into the background of our thoughts. it's quite clear that we should NOT let it slip~!!~
:)
libbyQ