Making the AIDS Memorial Quilt Square for Alvin Ailey | Missa Marmalstein | Edges of Ailey Interview

"It's important, because he deserves to be remembered in all of the contexts, but also as somebody that didn't get to keep telling the stories that he deserved to tell." Missa Marmalstein describes the experience of making the AIDS Memorial Quilt Square for Alvin Ailey in 1991, staying up sewing all night to make sure Alvin Ailey was not left out of the memorial quilt, and seeing the quilt square in person for the first time at the opening of Edges of Ailey. Missa worked at Heart to Art in the 1990's, where she helped to run classes and community projects for people with AIDS and their caregivers, including the AIDS Memorial Quilt project. The quilt square is on display in Edges of Ailey, the current exhibition on the Whitney Museum's fifth floor, which closes on February 9th, 2025. The exhibition celebrates the life, dances, influences, and enduring legacy of visionary artist and choreographer Alvin Ailey through visual art, live performance, music, archival materials, and a multi-screen video installation.