Vermont Historical Society to display segment of the AIDS Memorial Quilt this summer
The Vermont Historical Society will display a panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt at the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier starting on June 3rd and running through August 2nd.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is part of the National AIDS Memorial, which is dedicated to sharing the story of the AIDS pandemic. Conceived in 1985, the Memorial Quilt is considered the largest community arts project in history and celebrates, commemorates, and remembers the those who died during the pandemic.
The Quilt was first displayed with nearly 2,000 panels at the National Mall in Washington DC in October 1987 during the 2nd National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, and in the years since, has been displayed around the country.
Today, the quilt consists of more than 50,000 individual panels, each recognizing an individual who died of AIDS-related complications. Eight panels are grouped into blocks. The entire quilt can be viewed online through the National AIDS Memorial website.
VHS will display Block #4007, on loan from the National AIDS Memorial, which contains a panel honoring Joseph Anthony Dattilo, the brother of Vermonter Mary Ann Boyd. The block will be hung in the lobby of the museum starting on June 3rd and running through August 2nd, 2025. Admission is not required to view the quilt.
In addition to the quilt block on display at the Vermont History Museum, both the Aldrich Library of Barre and the Vermont State House will display two quilt blocks.
About the National AIDS Memorial
The National AIDS Memorial stewards our nation's two most notable AIDS memorials - the federally designated National AIDS Memorial Grove and the globally recognized AIDS Memorial Quilt. These two treasures, coupled with compelling community engagement programming, use their artful nature and unique storytelling qualities to reveal the humanity behind the statistics, invoke compassion, and dispel discrimination and stigma.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is an epic, 54-ton tapestry that includes over 50,000 panels dedicated to more than 110,000 individuals who died from AIDS. The largest community folk art project in the world, the Quilt is recognized under the Save America's Treasures Program Act as an American Treasure; it was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize and is the preeminent global symbol for the human response to HIV/AIDS.
About the Vermont Historical Society
Established in 1838, The Vermont Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that operates the Vermont History Museum in Montpelier, the Vermont History Center in Barre, and programming throughout the state. Its purpose is to reach a broad audience through outstanding collections and statewide outreach. The Vermont Historical Society believes that an understanding of the past changes lives and builds better communities. Visit the VHS website at http://ww.vermonthistory.org
