UW-Parkside News: AIDS Memorial Quilt comes to campus Oct. 22-Nov. 4

AIDS Memorial Quilt comes to campus Oct. 22-Nov. 4

AIDS Memorial Quilt here Oct. 22-Nov. 4.

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside is an official Midwest exhibit site for the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Ten large panels of the quilt will be shown in the Fine Arts Gallery of the Rita Tallent Picken Regional Center for Arts and Humanities Oct. 22 through Nov. 4.

Dr. Dean Yohnk, UW-Parkside's Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said the arrival of the quilt commemorates important anniversaries both in the history of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic and this patchwork of sorrow and hope.

"This is an incredible honor for the university," Yohnk said. "It's also a wonderful cultural opportunity for the university and the community as we observe the 30th anniversary of the beginning of the AIDS pandemic and the 25th anniversary of the quilt."

The portions of the quilt to be displayed at UW-Parkside reflect the diverse range of individuals who have died from AIDS in the past three decades. The panels?created from 1987 to the present?also highlight the stories of families and friends who mourn and celebrate these lost loved ones.

Along with the quilt, UW-Parkside will offer an array of educational and cultural programs, both on-campus and in the community, exploring the profound impact of AIDS on a local, national, and global scale. The quilt serves as the focal point and catalyst for programs that address AIDS' profound impact on education, healthcare, bioethics, politics, religion, and our society.

These include performances of Dean Yohnk's original play "Voices from the Quilt" Nov. 2-4. "Voices" is drawn from narratives written by people who lost loved ones to AIDS. It is presented as part of Parkside Theatre's FreshINK staged reading series and admission is free.

The UW-Parkside Music Department's Opera Workshop presents selections from the "AIDS Quilt Songbook" Oct. 26, Oct. 28, and Nov. 4. A video about the quilt, a lecture on AIDS-inspired literature, a variety of displays and discussions, and the creation of a community quilt are part of the exhibition's plans.
For more information on UW-Parkside's showing of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, visit www.uwp.edu keyword art galleries.

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Story Status: Archived
Publish date: 9/29/2012