Sixteen panels from the AIDS Memorial Quilt are on display at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where there will also be a screening for a documentary about the quilt’s origins and legacy.
The quilt panels went on display Wednesday on the second floor of the university’s SMC Campus Center. They will remain on view through Friday, Sept. 18, which is National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day.
On Thursday, there will be a screening of the 20-minute documentary “Gert’s Boys,” which highlights the work of one of the quilt’s co-founders, Cindy “Gert” McMullin, who has been described as the “Mother of the AIDS Quilt.” She is the quilt conservator and is the only person who has helped sew each panel on the quilt.
McMullin and fellow AIDS Memorial Quilt co-founder Mike Smith will headline a panel discussion about HIV prevention and treatment in Baltimore and Maryland, stigma around HIV and AIDS, health disparities, and the quilt’s enduring legacy.
A Prince George’s County resident, Smith served as the inaugural managing director of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and produced the first three Washington, D.C., Quilt displays in 1987, 1988, and 1989. During his tenure there, the AIDS Memorial Quilt grew to span more than 20,000 panels in 20 countries. In 1989, Smith and Cleve Jones were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The post-film discussion will be moderated by Eric L. Anderson, a Ryan White HIV/AIDS Eligibility Specialist with the THRIVE program with the University of Maryland Center for Infectious Diseases. Anderson is also the president of the Coalition of Baltimore HIV Providers.
One of the quilt’s memorial panels recognizes a University of Maryland School of Medicine graduate. Another is a tribute to a University of Maryland Golisano Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric AIDS Program patient.
The film screening and panel will run from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the SMC Campus Center Elm Ballrooms at 621 W. Lombard St. Following the panel discussion will be a reception hosted by the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s Institute of Human Virology.
“Gert’s Boys” has received several honors, including Festival Favorite and Director’s Choice at the Palm Springs LGBTQ+ Film Festival and the Best Narrative Short Audience Award at Reel Queer Film Festival.
