Quilt calls it quits
SAN FRANCISCO [September 4, 1989] — As the AIDS epidemic surpassed the 100,000 mark in July [1989], one additional victim in the almost relentless toll was the Names Project's massive quilt.
Although Names Project spokesperson Dan Sauro said that the organization will continue to collect panels and to display portions of the quilt around the country and in Canada, the October 6 through 8 [1989] display in Washington, D.C. will be the last full showing of the quilt. The magnitude of the epidemic, with over 56,000 women and men dead from AIDS in this country alone, makes the financial and logistical problems of full displays in the future impossible, according to Sauro.
The display this fall, titled "Keep the Love Alive," will follow on the heels of a conference of the National Association of People With AIDS. The quilt will be unfolded and refolded every day for three days at the Ellipse, on the south side of the White House.
Some 2,500 volunteers will be required for the three-day showing, which will cost about $165,000, $90,000 of which will come directly from the Names Project.
During the Columbus Day/Yom Kippur display, organizers will conduct seminars on AIDS, a federal legislation update, and a candlelight march to the Lincoln Memorial October 7 [1989]. First Lady Barbara Bush has been invited to make a special visit to the display as well, according to organizers.
— Keith Clark, OutWeek Magazine No. 11, September 4, 1989, p. 28.
