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The NAMES Project Foundation's "Newsroom" provides working media the fastest access to overview and background information covering both the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the Foundation itself. For Journalists Only: Find media contacts, review backgrounders and F.A.Q.s, and access and download images for editorial use.
On this page:
- The AIDS Memorial Quilt Background
- Quick Facts: The AIDS Memorial Quilt
- Foundation Contacts
- Images & Logos for Editorial Use
- Additional Media Resources at The Quilt
Students- check out our Student Resources page for help researching The AIDS Memorial Quilt!
Top News:
General Background
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.
The Quilt was conceived in November of 1985 by long-time San Francisco gay rights activist Cleve Jones, who helped organize the annual candlelight march honoring Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. At the end of the 1985 march, Jones and others stood on ladders taping placards bearing the names of friends and loved ones who had died of AIDS to the walls of the San Francisco Federal Building. The wall of names looked like a patchwork quilt.
On October 11, 1987, The Quilt included 1,920 panels and was displayed for the first time on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. The Quilt returned to Washington, D.C. in October of 1988, when 8,288 panels were displayed on the Ellipse in front of the White House. The entire Quilt was again displayed on the National Mall in 1992 and 1996, when it contained approximately 37,440 individual panels.
The Quilt was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and is today the largest community art project in the world. The Quilt has been the subject of countless books, films, scholarly papers, articles, and theatrical, artistic and musical performances, "Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt" won the Academy Award as the best feature-length documentary film of 1989.
In 2001 The NAMES Project Foundation headquarters and The AIDS Memorial Quilt moved from San Francisco to Atlanta, GA, and today displays continue being held across the country every day, new panels continue to be accepted and incorporated into The Quilt, and a new, solid financial foundation continues to be built beneath The Quilt, guaranteeing its ongoing work and securing its future.
Quick Facts About The AIDS Memorial Quilt
- Funds Raised by the Quilt for Direct Services for People with AIDS: over $3,250,000 (U.S.)
- Number of Visitors to the Quilt: 15,200,00
- 12' by 12' Sections of The Quilt: 5,712
- Panels in the Quilt: app. 45,520
- Names on the Quilt: More than 83,000*
- Size : 1,270,350 square feet (the equivalent of 272 NCAA basketball courts with walkway, 174 courts without walkway)
- Miles of Fabric: 51.3 miles long if all 3'x6' panels were laid end to end
- Total Weight: More than 54 tons
- NAMES Project Chapters: 20
- International Affiliates: 43
Foundation Contacts
- Specific Staff Contacts
- Media Relations & Image Use Permissions
Janece Shaffer
Communications Director
404/688-5500 ext. 223
e-mail: jshaffer@aidsquilt.org
Executive Director Julie Rhoad
Interviews Scheduled via:
Donna Watts-Nunn, Administration & Operations
404/688-5500 ext. 231
e-mail c/o: dwattsnunn@aidsquilt.org
President, Board of Directors
Clarissa Crabtree
Interviews Scheduled via:
Donna Watts-Nunn, Administration & Operations
404/688-5500 ext. 231
e-mail c/o: dwattsnunn@aidsquilt.org
- General Inquiries
- General Inquiries
404/688-5500
info@aidsquilt.org
Se Habla Español
404/688-5500 ext. 226
enespanol@aidsquilt.org
Display Related Inquiries
404/688-5500 ext. 227
displays@aidsquilt.org
Foundation Images for Editorial Use
The NAMES Project Foundation images provided for download on this web site are approved for editorial use in public media only. The general public and The NAMES Project Foundation's display hosts, sponsors and Chapters or Affiliates must contact The NAMES Project Foundation's Communications Director for permission to use Foundation imagery in advertising or promotional materials, including but not limited to movies, television programs or textbooks.
Foundation and AIDS Memorial Quilt Logos
Terms of Use: NAMES Project Foundation images may be used for editorial purposes in public media only and may not be used for advertising, business or personal communication. The NAMES Project Foundation and The AIDS Memorial Quilt logos are registered trademarks of The NAMES Project Foundation, must appear with the appropriate registration marks and may not be altered in any manner. Copying of images for further distribution or commercial use is prohibited without the express prior written consent of The NAMES Project Foundation, which also reserves the right to withdraw at any time permission to reproduce copyright material.
Additional Media Resources At The Quilt
Press Releases issued within the past year as well as an archive directory of previous press releases.
Includes "How To Make A Panel", "About The Foundation" and "eQuilt: The Electronic Newsletter of The AIDS Memorial Quilt"
A regularly updated schedule of upcoming AIDS Memorial Quilt displays coordinated by the Foundation office.
Locate a member of our Chapter or Affiliate program near you.
HIV/AIDS statistics & resources for the U.S. and the World
Complete guide to making panels for the Quilt and information regarding new panel submissions.
This page last updated
The NAMES Project Foundation - AIDS Memorial Quilt
101 Krog Street :: Atlanta, GA 30307
404/688-5500 :: 404/688-5552 f :: info@aidsquilt.org
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