What: NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibit
Where: Renaissance Hotel in Asheville, NC
When: November 20-27, 2016 with Opening Reception at 6pm November 21st.
Quilt exhibit open daily during the week, 10:00 am- 7:00 pm (Closed Thanksgiving Day)
Please contact the WNCAP office to request a special tour or educational session.
828.252.7489
Who: The event is hosted by The Western North Carolina AIDS Project (WNCAP) and The
Renaissance Hotel Asheville.
Ticket Info: This is a free event open to the entire community.
The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibit will be held at The Renaissance Hotel from November 20th to 27th. This event will informally launch the events of World AIDS Day 2016: The Power of Zero which will take place on December 1st in Asheville, NC.
The Quilt began in June 1987 when a small group gathered in San Francisco 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. Today the Quilt is a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic and consists of more than 48,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels — We honor all of those impacted by HIV/ AIDS by bringing 20 blocks of the Quilt panels to Asheville for a week of commemoration and awareness.
WNCAP invites the community to come and experience the Quilt in person at the Opening
Reception. The reception will include an induction ceremony for new quilt panels, brief
presentations by local speakers, and a memorial candle lighting ceremony. The Opening
Reception will begin at 6 pm on Monday, November 21, so come out and join us in this event to honor, memorialize, and learn about the stories of those lost to AIDS. The exhibit is a larger part of WNCAP’s World AIDS Day 2016: The Power of Zero campaign.
On December 1, 2016, WNCAP invites the general public for a poignant and resourceful day of educational seminars followed by a film screening of “The Last One,” about the hopeful last square to be placed on the AIDS quilt. The event will feature an appearance by Cecil Baldwin, best known for his work as the voice of the podcast “Welcome to Night Vale.” In addition to his acclaim as an actor, Baldwin is himself HIV positive, and a well known outspoken advocate for LGBTQ and HIV issues.
All are encouraged to attend the quilt exhibit and the December 1st events, whether they are seeking to remember a lost friend or loved one, or to support WNCAP’s efforts to provide HIV care, prevention and advocacy.