Monumental AIDS Quilt goes on display in Golden Gate Park
SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) -- Thirty-five years ago, in the midst of the terrifying AIDS epidemic, three San Francisco activists created a public art piece as a means of protest. It would become known as the AIDS Memorial Quilt and, on Saturday, its anniversary was observed with the largest display of the quilt San Francisco has ever seen.
When the AIDS quilt is displayed, it is typically met with stunned silence. Susan Patton said it reminds her of the nation's most famous cemetery.
"It looks like ... it's like Arlington," she said. "You just see a lot of broken hearts."
In 1988, a young man named Cleve Jones wasn't just sad -- he was angry.
"All my friends were dying. The government did nothing," he said. "Our churches kicked us out. Our families abandoned us."
So he and two friends -- Mike Smith and Gert McMullin -- began sewing the names of AIDS victims into a large quilt. Word got out and soon San Francisco was inundated with quilt panels sent from grieving family and friends from around the country. Six months later, they displayed 2,000 of them at the National Mall in Washington D.C. as a way to shame the government into action.
"It was such a powerful symbol," Jones recalls. "Everybody told me it was the stupidest thing they ever heard of but it ended up becoming the world's largest community arts project."
Saturday morning, the quilt was once again displayed in the city where it was created. Volunteers unfolded more than 3,000 panels in Robin Williams Meadow in Golden Gate Park.
But just as the epidemic has changed so has the meaning of the quilt.
John Cunningham, CEO of the National AIDS Memorial, said what was once an expression of anger and loss has become a symbol of hope and determination and the power of individuals to create change.
"Keep in mind that happened organically. There was no internet. There was no social media. This happened word of mouth," Cunningham said. "The message really is: look at what this powerful symbol did -- the largest community arts project that was started in a little room and, today, it is changing the face of the epidemic and speaking to the nation about justice."
Cleve Jones is proud that his idea was able to change hearts and minds about AIDS. Although he is still dissatisfied with the inequities of the health care system, he says he's now able to feel more than just outrage.
"I also want you to know that, in my heart thanks to this quilt, all that hate and fear and despair has been replaced," he said. "And for me, this quilt is the physical embodiment of love and courage and hope."
The quilt will be displayed in Golden Gate Park through Sunday. But the more than 3,000 panels represent only a small fraction of the entire AIDS quilt, which contains more than 50,000 panels in all.