Please join us for the unveiling of Coventry’s own AIDS Memorial Quilt at St Mary’s Guildhall, commissioned by Coventry Pride with funding from Public Health. The unveiling will be accompanied by a talk about the significance of the quilt, and a zine making workshop led by Coventry Queer Writers.

Doors will open at 17:50, for a start time of 18:00.

The Cover Up Quilts Project is a community arts and education project conceived by Birmingham based artist, HIV activist and founder of the Birmingham AIDS and HIV memorial (BAHM), Garry Jones. The project is inspired by the NAMES project AIDS memorial quilt which began in San Francisco in 1985 with the aim of celebrating the lives of those lost to AIDS related causes. It rose to become the largest community folk art project in the world. The Cover Up Quilts Project has brought together 40 organisations and community groups to commemorate individuals and organisations associated with HIV/AIDS as well as important milestones in the 40 years since the first UK HIV diagnosis. Each group was paired with a local artist to realise their vision and produce a quilt panel. As well as producing the panels, the artist workshops served as an opportunity for education and to discuss and normalise conversations around HIV/ AIDS.