In Remembrance

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a silent but powerful memorial to lives taken too soon by this disease. People will learn about these lives as a portion of the Quilt will be displayed at the UTA Central Library on the 6th floor from Nov. 28 through Dec. 2.  

The National AIDS Memorial website stated the Quilt was conceived by human rights activist, author, and lecturer Cleve Jones in 1985. Today, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is a 54-ton display that includes 50,000 panels that is dedicated to more than 110,000 individuals.   

Kathryn Slover, a UTA Libraries Special Collections Department digital archivist, stated that the Quilt is being brought to campus to commemorate World AIDS Day on Dec. 1 and in remembrance of local history related to AIDS.   

She noted that the Quilt is a powerful memorial that has a lasting impact on people’s lives, educating them about the past and present. The section of the Quilt that will be displayed at the library documents the lives of eight people.   

“One of the reasons we selected this Quilt section is that one of the smaller panels of the eight is for Ken Cyr, a local gay rights activist here in Fort Worth,” Slover said. “He started the first gay organization, Awareness, Unity and Research Association (in Fort Worth). He was one of the founders of the Texas Gay Conference as well.”  

 A small exhibit will accompany the Quilt that features a few text panels related to the history of the Quilt and its history on campus. The Quilt has been displayed several times in the 1990s and early 2000s. The last time it was shown on campus was in 2022.   

The exhibit will have historic photos of the Quilt from “The Shorthorn” and “The Fort Worth Star-Telegram" photograph Collections. These images can be viewed through the online UTA Libraries Digital Gallery.  

People can search for names of family members or friends through an online interactive display. This display allows people to view the 50,000 panels that document the more than 110,00 names sewn into the Quilt.   

On the first day of the exhibit, Nov. 28, UTA Libraries will host a special event from Noon to 2 p.m. Several university offices and local organizations will have tables set up to provide information about LBGTQ+ history and resources about HIV and AIDS.   

There will also be a crafting activity to commemorate the Quilt, where people can make small square panels.   

The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display on the sixth floor of the UTA Central Library from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2. Both the exhibit and special event are open to the UTA community and the public to attend.  

More information about the AIDS Memorial Quilt can be found on the National AIDS Memorial website.  

Information about Special Collections can be found through the UTA Libraries website.