Free event
About
Wakefield is set to be the first city to welcome the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt, outside of London.
In partnership with UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership, WX will display the piece from 4-7 June.
All 43 blocks will be displayed at WX and selected individual panels in various locations around the city. Also on display at WX will be the recently rediscovered documentary film There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, about the 1994 Hyde Park display of the Quilt.
The UK AIDS Memorial Quilt consists of 43 quilts and 24 individual panels, representing over 500 individuals lost to HIV and AIDS. It is part of the world’s largest community art project, started in the USA in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones, commemorating friends, family and loved ones lost to AIDS. Individual panels were stitched together to create larger quilts, which were then shown outdoors as a form of protest to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.
Seven UK HIV support charities formed the UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Partnership in 2014 to conserve and display the quilt. Today it stands as an important reminder of those who were lost and of the fact that HIV and AIDS continue to affect people and communities today.
To find out more information on individual panels please visit: Gallery – UK AIDS Memorial Quilt
Exhibition Events
Special Late Night Opening
Friday 5 June, 10am – 10:30pm
There will be a special late night opening of the exhibition on Friday 5 June.
Reading
Saturday 6 June, 2:30pm
In response to this important moment in the story of the Quilt, northern poet and novelist Andrew McMillan is writing a poem that he will present in public for the first time at the ‘Reading of the Names’ of those commemorated in the Quilt.
Workshops
Saturday 6 – Sunday 7 June, 10am – 4pm
Head over to The Factory at WX for a series of workshops for all ages.
Free HIV Testing & Advice
Friday 5 June, 12:30pm – 3:30pm & Saturday 6 June, 12pm – 5pm
Free HIV testing and advice will be provided by BHA and Spectrum at Wakefield Exchange, in Unit 5 on Union Street.
Partner Venues
Over the same dates, selected individual panels will be displayed at partner venues around the district, allowing a wider audience to uncover their rich history and significance.
In Wakefield City Centre, venues include:
The Hepworth Wakefield | 4-7 June, 10am-5pm
Theatre Royal Wakefield | 4-6 June, 10am-9pm
The Art House | 3-7 June, Thursday: 9:30am-8pm, Friday & Saturday: 9:30am-4pm, Sunday: 10:30am-3pm
LonGBoat CIC’s Kirkgate Station Community Gallery (platform 3) | 2-7 June, 24 hours
Further afield, visitors can explore the panels at:
Anglers Country Park | 3-7 June, 10am-4pm
Pontefract Castle | 4-5 June, 10am-4pm
Yorkshire Sculpture Park | 3-7 June, 10am-5pm
Queen’s Mill Castleford | 3-5 June, 9.30am-2.30pm, 6 June 10am-2pm
Maurice Dobson Museum in Darfield, Barnsley | 6 June, 10am-2pm
Please check before travelling.
Venue opening hours
Monday : Closed
Tuesday : 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Wednesday : 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Thursday : 9:00 am - 10:30 pm
Friday : 9:00 am - 10:30 pm
Saturday : 10:00 am - 10:30 pm
Sunday : 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Access facilities
- Accessible Car Parking
- Accessible Toilet
- Assistance Dogs Welcome
- Baby Changing Facilities
- Changing Places Facility
- Dementia Friendly
- Guide Dogs Welcome
- Step Free Access
- Wheelchair Accessible
Event sessions
UK AIDS Memorial Quilt Display
Venue Details
Find us at
Union Street, Wakefield, WF1 3AD
hello@wxwakefield.co.uk
10:00 - 17:00 
