Preview: UK AIDS Memorial Quilt

A preview of the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, exhibited in Scotland, in full, for the first time.

At Tramway, the Quilt will be displayed alongside archival material from The Lothian Health Services Archive which traces the Scottish roots of the project, as well as the documentary film There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. An events programme curated by Glasgow based artist and researcher Steven Grainger accompanies the exhibition.

The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt represents over 600 people lost to HIV and AIDS in the UK. It is part of the world's largest community art project, begun in the USA in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones to commemorate friends, family and loved ones lost to AIDS. In the late 1980s, Scottish activist Ally Van Tillo began coordinating the UK Quilt, as others were doing around the world.

This opening event includes a preview of the display, followed by speeches from Cleve Jones - founder of the NAMES Project and the AIDS Memorial Quilt, Grant Sugden - CEO Waverley Care and UK Quilt Partnership, and Stephen Gellaitry - Quilt panel maker and Names Project volunteer in the 1990s who will add a historic panel to the collection on the night. A drinks reception follows.

The exhibition continues until 4 October 2026
Read more about the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt display at Tramway

The AIDS QUILT UK is presented by Tramway and made possible with Creative Scotland funding. The exhibition features a display of archives supported by Lothian Health Services archive, University of Edinburgh Library.

Image courtesy of Waverley Care