AIDS Memorial Quilt Opens Visitor Center In Atlanta Downtown

The new Downtown space is located at 117 Luckie Street, enhancing the ability to host almost 2,000 visitors. It is assumed that it will be used for HIV prevention programs, free panel-making workshops, artistic and education programming, displays and to ultimately share more of the stories behind The Quilt and its 30-year history. In bonus, the new location will be home to The AIDS Quilt Touch (Quilt Touch), a digital browser that enables exploration of The Quilt in its entirety on a tabletop digital browser and online via two interactive kiosks also located on-site.

Today the AIDS Memorial Quilt is a powerful visual reminder of the AIDS pandemic, composed of 54 tons of 12-foot by 12-foot Quilt blocks. More than 48,000 individual 3-by-6-foot memorial panels — most commemorating the life of someone who has died of AIDS — have been sewn together by friends, lovers and family members. Over the past 30 years, The Quilt has been seen by more than 22 million people around the world and has raised more than $5 million for direct services for people with HIV/AIDS. It has been displayed in its entirety on the National Mall in Washington D.C. five times – in 1987, 1988, 1992, 1996 and 2012.

“This national treasure will become an essential component of a thriving Downtown to share with the city and the millions of visitors who travel here each year,” explained NAMES Project President & CEO, Julie Rhoad. “The Quilt has a powerful story to tell – a story of social justice and human rights that aligns seamlessly with the legacy of Atlanta,” Julie added.