‘More than remembrance.’ Sections of AIDS Memorial Quilt on display in State College

Sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is thought to be the largest community arts project in history, are on display through June at downtown State College’s Centre LGBT+.

Centre LGBT+ and the National AIDS Memorial partnered to bring the eight panels of the Quilt to State College as part of the Community Display Program, according to a news release.

“Bringing a piece of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Centre LGBT+ is more than remembrance — it’s a powerful thread connecting our community to lives, stories, and a history that must never be forgotten, and a vital opportunity for people here to witness that history firsthand, to learn, reflect, and carry it forward,” Centre LGBT+ Executive Director Cat Cook wrote in the release.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt was created in the 1980s by gay rights activist Cleve Jones to serve as a memorial for people who had died of AIDS. As part of a 1985 march in San Francisco, he asked attendees to write the names of friends and loved ones who died of AIDS on placards that ended up looking like a patchwork quilt.

Two years later, the Quilt was displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. with nearly 2,000 panels. Today, it has grown to more than 50,000 panels, weighs 54 tons and is more than 50 miles long.

“The issues our nation faces today — social injustice, health inequity, stigma, bigotry, and fear — are the same issues faced throughout four decades of the AIDS pandemic,” John Cunningham, CEO of the National AIDS Memorial, wrote in the press release. “The Quilt is a powerful teaching tool that shares the story of HIV/AIDS, the lives lost, and the hope, healing, activism and remembrance that it inspires.”

One of the Quilt panels on display in State College has a connection to Centre County that Cook said Centre LGBT+ is still exploring. It reads “Centre Cares” above an outline of Pennsylvania, with a red ribbon symbolizing HIV/AIDS awareness pictured in the middle of the state.

The Quilt panels are open to the public to view at Centre LGBT+, 204 E. Calder Way, Suite 304, State College, through June 30. The center is open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The display is free, with all donations supporting the mission and work of Centre LGBT+.

Abby Drey contributed to this report.