Arizona Historical Society and Marked by COVID Host 2022 COVID Memorial Day Event

On March 7, 2022, the Arizona Historical Society and Marked by COVID co-hosted a public memorial at the Arizona Heritage Center in Tempe, Arizona, marking the second annual COVID Memorial Day. The event brought together grieving families, health professionals, community leaders, and artists to honor the more than 27,000 Arizonans lost to COVID-19. Speakers included Will Humble, Executive Director of the Arizona Public Health Association, and Tara Krebbs, Arizona hub lead for Marked by COVID, who lost her father Charles to COVID-19 in August 2020. COVID survivor Joyce Bailey opened the event by singing as a floral heart was placed at the podium.

The event also debuted two art exhibitions: 24 panels of the COVID Memorial Quilt—a living memorial inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt—and Remarkable Presence, an immersive installation by Phoenix artist Jen Urso featuring thousands of paper suitcases made from printed obituaries. The COVID Memorial Quilt remained on display at the Heritage Center through August 2022. Read the original announcement.