For Immediate Release:
Contact:  Erika Phifer, MPB Communications 407-581-4222
Lauren Hames 407-246-3106

ORLANDO CITY HALL DISPLAYS QUILT
FOR WORLD AIDS DAY 2004

ORLANDO, FL (December 1, 2004) – The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display at Orlando City Hall today and tomorrow in honor of World AIDS Day 2004.

World AIDS Day 2004 is an internationally recognized day focused on awareness and commemoration of individuals lost to AIDS. Since its inception in 1987, more than 15 million people have seen the AIDS Memorial Quilt and it remains the largest community art project worldwide.

“Orlando’s Public Art Program is honored to exhibit this internationally acclaimed project,” said Paul Wenzel, City of Orlando’s public art coordinator. “I hope that everyone is able to reflect on those lost and appreciate the beauty of the quilt.”

The AIDS Memorial Quilt began in San Francisco in 1987 and has grown to include more than 82,000 names and 46,000 panels from 36 countries. A panel is a twelve square foot block combining eight three by six feet quilts. If displayed in its entirety, the quilt would cover an area equal to 30 football fields and stretch over 50 miles.

The quilt’s first stop in Orlando was at the Team Disney building November 29 and 30, 2004. It will be on display in Orlando City Hall’s rotunda Wednesday, December 1, (World AIDS Day) and Thursday, December 2, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

For more information on the AIDS Memorial Quilt or World AIDS Day, please visit www.aidsquilt.org or www.worldaidsday.org.

# # #