In response to the growing number of AIDS-related deaths in the Chicago area, NAMES Project Chicago has assembled a team of volunteers who are offering their time and talents to assist others in creating a panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
NAMES Project Chicago, a chapter of the NAMES Project Foundation, will host the largest indoor display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt this year during Labor Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 1-2, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. at Navy Pier. The display, presented by Smirnoff Twist, will feature for the first time the largest display of Quilt panels from Illinois residents who have died from AIDS. In addition, in opening ceremonies on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 9:30 a.m., 25 new Quilt panels will be added and presented by their family and friends from the Chicago area.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world. Created in 1987, the AIDS Memorial Quilt memorializes individuals who have died from AIDS complications. The Quilt's mission is to bring an end to AIDS through education and public awareness. In its entirety, the display's size is 792,000 square feet ( the equivalent of 26 football fields with walkway ) and contains 50,000 three-by-six feet quilted cloth panels representing more than 85,000 names.
For many survivors, making a panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt offers a creative form of healing from the grief following the loss of a loved one. Whether the panel is made by an individual, family, or friends, the process provides a unique opportunity to remember and celebrate that person's life while giving form to a powerful symbol which both keeps the memory alive and raises awareness of HIV and AIDS in the community.
NAMES Project Chicago supports panelmaking in the community through a variety of activities. Quilting Bees and Panel Making Workshop are held weekly on Saturdays Noon-3 p.m. at the NAMES Project Visitor Center, 3732 N. Broadway. Panelmaking materials and assistance are available. The Quilt Panel-making team are individuals with experience in artistic design as well as fabric, color and quilting talents. They are available to assist with all aspects of creating the Quilt panel, from initial sketches, layouts, use of fabric, photographs, objects, lettering and sewing. In addition, the team offers companionship and emotional support for the panelmaker during the quilting process. Quilting Bees can also be held at other locations in the greater Chicago area and can be arranged through the NAMES Project Chicago office.
Completed AIDS Memorial Quilt panels are submitted to NAMES Project Chicago, where they are displayed at the Visitor and Quilting Center and then sewn into the AIDS Memorial Quilt itself.
NAMES Project Chicago was established in 1988 to garner support for the first national tour of the Quilt. Since then, they have coordinated displays of the Quilt, a Youth Council and Speakers Bureau. For additional information on the AIDS Memorial Quilt, how to make a panel or to volunteer at the Navy Pier Quilt Display, call NAMES Project Chicago at ( 773 ) 472-1600 or on the web at www.namesprojectchicago.org .