WASHINGTON (AP) — The AIDS Memorial Quilt is on display on the National Mall this week for the first time in 16 years, and those who can't travel to Washington can see it on the Web.
The entire quilt memorializing victims of HIV/AIDS last stretched across the Mall in 1996. At 1.3 million square feet, organizers say today's quilt is too large to be displayed in full.
The NAMES Project Foundation is laying out 8,000 of the quilt's panels as part of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Visitors can view digital images of each panel on touchscreens in the "Remember Their Names" tent.
The Folklife Festival also hosts an exhibit about life in southeast Washington and one celebrating land-grant universities. According to the Smithsonian, the festival attracts about 1 million people each year.
