AIDS Memorial Quilts
The quilts in this collection are part of the historic NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt—one of the largest community art projects in the world and a powerful tribute to the lives lost to the AIDS epidemic. Each 3' x 6' panel, roughly the size of a human grave, is a deeply personal act of remembrance. Created by friends, family members, and loved ones, these works honor those taken by the AIDS epidemic with dignity, creativity, and love.
These quilts carry stories that extend far beyond fabric and thread. They represent a collective effort to confront loss, reduce stigma, and ensure that those remembered are never forgotten. By including these panels in the Matthew Lau Collection, we honor both the individuals they commemorate and the enduring legacy of the AIDS Memorial Quilt as a living, evolving work of art and history. They also reflect Matthew Lau’s deep personal connection to this history—as an openly gay man who lived in New York City during the height and aftermath of the AIDS crisis, and whose life and community were profoundly shaped by it.
Explore the entire memorial quilt by panel here. Panel numbers found below with their corresponding quilt.
The original Brian Keith Scott panel remains part of the Memorial Quilt in San Francisco, California.
Panel number 5529
Brian Keith Scott
Fabric mosaic quilt
73 x 37
Collection of Lau Studio Alumni
This mosaic quilt is the second of two created by Lau in honor of his close friend, Brian Keith Scott, following Brian’s death from AIDS in 1996.
The original was made for the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The quilt in this collection is an identical version Lau crafted for himself—described by his brother as one of Matthew’s most cherished works and a piece of which he was especially proud.
Meticulously constructed from approximately 9,800 half-inch square pieces of fabric cut from old costumes, the quilt functions as a textile mosaic. Each piece was carefully color-coded and organized using a numerical system, displayed below, that Lau devised to render Brian’s likeness — a process that reflects both extraordinary patience and profound devotion.