April 24, 2012

NAMES Project Launches the AIDS Memorial 'Quilt in the Capital' Initiative

The NAMES Project Foundation is partnering with POZ to display The Quilt in its entirety throughout Washington, DC, for the first time since 1996.

The NAMES Project Foundation, custodian of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, in partnership with POZ, the leading brand for HIV/AIDS information in the United States, is pleased to announce “Quilt in the Capital 2012,” an initiative to bring the 54-ton AIDS Memorial Quilt to Washington, DC, July 21–25 to coincide with the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012).

“The AIDS Memorial Quilt has incredible power to draw people into a conversation about HIV/AIDS,” said Julie Rhoad, president and CEO of The NAMES Project. “With the help of our partner POZ, we will use this summer’s Quilt display to reignite the conversation about how we begin to end AIDS. Our heartfelt thanks to the many generous supporters that are making this possible.”

Sponsorship and support will make it possible to bring all of The Quilt’s 47,000 panels and counting—representing the lives of 94,000 individuals taken by AIDS, sewn by more than 100,000 friends and family members—to be displayed across part of the National Mall and the more than 50 additional venues in the DC metropolitan area July 21–25. For a listing of all the venues scheduled to display panels of The Quilt this summer, go to www.Quilt2012.org.  

As a partner to “Quilt in the Capital 2012,” POZ is working closely with The NAMES Project to leverage the power of The Quilt in developing programming that is engaging, educational and inspirational. POZ also brings its media expertise to the initiative, hosting panel discussions, conducting interviews and streaming live from The Quilt on POZ.com to bolster the engagement of a larger audience that extends beyond those viewing The Quilt in person.    

Long-time industry supporters Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. are generously supporting “Quilt in the Capital 2012.”    

“For more than two decades, Bristol-Myers Squibb has worked with the HIV community, and we knew the momentous return of The Quilt to Washington, DC, an extraordinary reminder of the journey we have taken and the future ahead, is something we wanted to be a part of,” said Giovanni Caforio, president, U.S. pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb.  “The Quilt has an unparalleled ability to foster dialogue, awareness and action at every level, from breaking through national and international consciousness to serving people in need at the community level. We need to work together for people living with HIV and AIDS, and our hope is that The Quilt can inspire all people and truly help impact the course of the HIV epidemic in this country.”    

In addition, The NAMES Project Foundation and POZ would like to thank the Raymond F Schinazi and Family Foundation, The Elton John AIDS Foundation, The Association of Corporate Counsel, Red Thread Productions, Whitman-Walker Health, Kimpton Hotels and The DC AIDS Walk for their contributions and support.

About The AIDS Memorial Quilt
The Quilt began with a single 3 feet by 6 feet panel created in San Francisco in 1987. Today, The Quilt is the largest piece of ongoing community art in the world. Its personally sewn panels come from every state in the nation, from every corner of the globe. Sections are continuously on display across the country in schools, churches, community centers, businesses, corporations and a variety of other institutional settings, all with the purpose of making the realities of HIV and AIDS real, human and immediate. To date, more than 15 million people have seen The Quilt at tens of thousands of displays throughout the world.

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To download high-resolution photographic images of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, please go to AIDSquilt.org/newsroom.

Search: NAMES Project, Quilt in the Capital, Quilt, AIDS 2012, POZ, AIDS Memorial Quilt, Julie Rhoad, HIV, AIDS

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