Summary

Circular badge with green and purple geometric pattern in background, inscribed 'The quilt / see it and understand'. Manufactured to commemorate the AIDS memorial quilt project.

Collected during the 2005-2006 Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay Transgender Collections Survey, a joint project between Museum Victoria, State Library of Victoria and the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives.

The Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project was founded in Sydney in 1988 by Andrew Carter and Richard Johnson, and formally launched on World AIDS day, 1 December. The founding 35 quilt panels were displayed with visiting panels from the American Names Project, of which it is part. The Names Project came about in the mid-1980s, when cardboard placards were displayed like a patchwork in memory of people who had died of AIDS at a Candlelight March. Participant Cleve Jones wanted to use the patchwork concept to make a more enduring memorial. The Quilt project was launched in 1987, and had grown to over 25,000 panels by 2009. The project Quilt has spread to more than 27 countries around the world.

In Australia and beyond, the project has become a valuable resource for the promotion of a compassionate and educational dialogue about AIDS. It graphically illustrates the human side of the AIDS epidemic. The Quilt Project is a national registered charity with branches in most states and territories. (Australian AIDS Quilt project)

Physical Description

Circular badge with green and purple geometric pattern in background, white inscription and white zig zag at bottom. Silver metal, plastic-coated, with safety pin fastener adhered to back.

Significance

Collected during the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay Transgender Collections Survey, a joint project between Museum Victoria, State Library of Victoria and the Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives in 2005-2006. The project aimed for 'improved knowledge, representation and interpretation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender material in public collections. It aimed to promote the development of strategies for encouraging discussion and awareness of homosexuality in the mainstream community. It also aimed to begin to provide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Victorians with a sense of inclusion in the broader story of our heritage. The survey has provided an opportunity for the celebration of political and social achievements, and recognition of the tenets of equal opportunity and human rights for all Victorians.' (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Material Survey Project Report, Kate Davison, 2006).
These documents provide an important record of community activity within and beyond the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities in Victoria in the period 2005-2006. They show a breadth of activities, including tours, exhibitions, research projects and political movements, across organisations ranging from the AIDS Care Association to the Midsumma Festival.

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