May 28 at 10:00 am – June 7 at 4:00 pm

MEXICAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE DC
2829 16th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20009

Capital Pride Alliance is partnering with the Mexican Cultural Institute, ANC 1A, and the National AIDS Memorial to display 6 blocks of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The display features blocks of the Quilt that memorialize Mexican and Chicanx people who were lost to AIDS. The Mexican Cultural Institute’s recent Tenango Pride Flag community project will also be on display.

The Quilt and the Pride Flag are on display at the Mexican Cultural Institute, 2829 16th Street NW, from May 28 to June 7. Hours of operation are Monday-Friday 10:00am to 6:00pm, Saturday 12:00pm to 4:00pm, and closed Sunday.

The Quilt is the largest community arts project in the world. Its first panels were created during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis. Today the Quilt consists of 50,000 individually-sewn panels with the names of more than 110,000 people who have died of AIDS.

The Quilt was created in the 1980s during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis by gay rights activist Cleve Jones. While planning a march in San Francisco in 1985, he was devastated by the thousands of lives that had been lost to AIDS in San Francisco, and he asked each of his fellow marchers to write on placards the names of friends and loved ones who had died. Jones and others stood on ladders taping these placards to the walls of the San Francisco Federal Building. The wall of names looked like a patchwork quilt, and inspired by this sight, Jones and friends made plans for a larger memorial. In 1987, a group of strangers began gathering in a San Francisco storefront to document the lives they feared would be forgotten. Their goal was to create a memorial for those who had died of AIDS, and understand the devastating impact of the disease. This served as the foundation of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Later that year, nearly 2,000 of its panels were displayed on the National Mall in Washington, DC.

In 1996, the National Memorial Quilt attracted nearly 1.2 million visitors in October 1996 – filling the Mall from the Capitol to the Washington Monument. Over the three-day event, more than 40,000 panels were displayed. Notably, President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton attended, marking the last full exhibition of the Quilt on the Mall. By this point, the HIV/AIDS epidemic was starting to see a major decline.

Sharing the Quilt’s powerful stories of activism, resilience, hope, and remembrance, helps connect the story of HIV/AIDS to the important issues impacting our nation today. Throughout the ongoing AIDS crisis, more than 700,000 lives have been lost in this country to HIV/AIDS. Today, HIV is on the rise, particularly among young people, communities of color, and in the Southern United States. Quilt displays are used to raise greater awareness about the story of AIDS, and prevention, treatments, and resources available within the community.

The Quilt can be viewed in its entirety online, and people can search for names on the Quilt at www.aidsmemorial.org/quilt.

What is Tenango?

Tenango embroidery is a traditional Mexican art form that originates from the Tenango de Doria municipality in Hidalgo, considered Mexican cultural heritage. It is a rich artistic tradition that stems from the artisan works of the Otomi people, an indigenous group native to central Mexico.

This unique embroidery style features white fabrics intricately woven with vibrant colors, depicting the local flora and fauna of Tenango de Doria, as well as geometric patterns and mythical creatures. The history of Tenango embroidery dates back centuries, with the
Otomi people passing down their intricate stitching techniques from generation to generation. This art form holds significant cultural and historical importance, as it not only reflects the natural beauty of the region but also serves as a form of storytelling, with each stitch conveying a story or a message.

Preserving Tenango embroidery is crucial for maintaining Mexico’s cultural heritage and supporting the livelihoods of artisans in the region. By promoting and sustaining this traditional art form, we can help ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy and appreciate the beauty and cultural significance of Tenango embroidery.