Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts is bringing a portion of the AIDS Memorial Quilt onto its campus on Nov. 14 and 15 as part of an educational program around its School for the Arts’ production of “Rent.” The exhibition is open to the public. A post-show discussion will also take place on Nov. 15.
Reports the Franklin Observer:
The Quilt display will provide powerful context to the College’s production of “RENT,” Jonathan Larson’s iconic musical that follows a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS.
“In moments of crisis, at times of great conflict and trauma, people turn to art as a way to share their love and their fear and their anger,” said Patsy Collins Bandes, dean of the School of the Arts. “The AIDS Memorial Quilt was built out of one of these moments of protest and demand for those lost to be remembered. We at Dean College are honored to display this work of art in parallel with our students lifting their own voices to create a story of survival, hope and love onstage in our production of ‘RENT.’”
The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display to the public on Tuesday, November 14 and Wednesday, November 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the Dr. Paula M. Rooney Student Center Concourse. Dean students will also be tabling with interactive educational materials during the display. The School of the Arts at Dean will present “RENT” from November 15-19, 2023.
The display is part of the College’s thoughtful new programming series to create more context around each of the theatre shows this season. Titled “Continuing the Conversation,” the College will hold post-show discussions with the creative teams and experts in the field about the performance and the themes, context or history it explores. The series is co-sponsored by the Franklin Public Library and will offer library patrons a discount on tickets if they would like to attend the show prior to the discussion.
Read the complete Franklin Observer story here.
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