When AIDS first struck the United States in the 1980s, doctors were at a loss, the public was in a frenzy, and people were dying, sometimes within days of diagnosis. Little was known about the virus associated with AIDS, other than that it killedand killed fast.
In its infancy, it was called GRID or gay-related immune deficiency, since it was believed it only targeted gay men and certain groups. The "4H" disease was another title applied to AIDS, which singled out Haitians, homosexuals, hemophiliacs, and heroin users. It was not until 1982 when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control started using the name AIDS to define the illness, and researchers discovered the disease was not exclusive to certain groups.
Out of this tragedy came empowerment, as people with AIDS and their allies created support structures, and new ways to remember those lost to the disease. One such effort was the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, started in 1985 by activist Cleve Jones in San Francisco.
If Jones was the mouth that supplied a voice to the voiceless people who died from AIDS complications, then Chicago-based volunteer and photographer Bruce Barnes provided the eyes that captured the hurt, the closure and the memories of those survivors with the snap of his camera lenses.
Barnes' Humboldt Park home, which he shares with partner Ben Ziola, is a visual maze of his NAMES Project archive, and it conveys his passion and dedication to the quilt. His walls are filled with framed photos that tell the story of the NAMES Project and its displays in Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Barnes' own story includes losing his then-partner to AIDS, sharing that hurt, finding his closure, and how his camera snapped him into the middle of a touching national movement.
Windy City Times: How did you get involved with the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt?
Bruce Barnes:They were looking for volunteers for the display in Chicago in 1988, and I volunteered with a bunch of friends. We were part of the local team who set up the event for the host city. I initially played a small part, but that quickly changed when it rained in the cavernous buildings at the old Navy Pier. Someone had to step up to the plate and my background always taught me to be responsible and "do the right thing."
Windy City Times: What attracted you to the quilt?
Bruce Barnes:All the people that I lost, all the friends that I lost. The emotions that were involved in it and paying tribute to all the people who gave so much to society and were now gone. When you see a panel, made for a deceased individual, who has died of AIDS, lying on a floor, or hanging from a wall, in a display, it is moving. When you actually hold that same panel, inspect it for damage, and have to clean and repair the delicate work that someone created in someone's memory, it is as if the people involved, both the living and the dead, are sitting in the room and watching over your shoulder. Their spirits are there to both keep you company during the cleaning or repair process and make certain you work in a respectful manner.
Windy City Times: How was it working on such a deep, emotional project?
Bruce Barnes:The project itself was very emotional. Once I started seeing the panels [ quilts ] open, I knew that I would have to either become completely emotionally involved or not be able to do anything because of the impact. There's a lot of love. There is a lot of personal, heart-felt work that goes into every single one of the panels. So, I separated myself. I just sort of walked around and captured images. It became mechanical and at the same time emotional. The emotions took over, and I just kind of worked with the mechanics of it. I did take breaks throughout the day. I had to because it was just so overwhelming. If I had not, I wouldn't have been able to last.
Windy City Times: It seems as though the quilt itself was an "activist" in the early AIDS movement.
Bruce Barnes:The quilt has its own karma that sort of goes with it. It's the spirit of everyone who has ever done a panel or has a panel. They are all participating in the protection of the quilt all the time. It really is a unique item in America. It keeps memories warm and memories fresh.
Windy City Times: Did you contribute a quilt?
Bruce Barnes:Yes. I created a quilt for my then-partner, Mel, that was with me in D.C. in 1992. A friend of mine who does embroidery embroidered the popular dance lyric onto the panel, "If you get there before I do, don't give up on me. I'll be there when my chores are through. I don't know how long that will be, but between now and then, until I see you again, I'll be loving you love me." I didn't turn it [ the panel ] in until 1996 or 1997 after the display in D.C.
Windy City Times: What took you so long to turn the quilt in?
Bruce Barnes:Letting go. It was part of the relationship. Whether it's a partner or a parent, no one likes to lose anyone. When you have years of bonding between you, and someone is taken away from you in a matter of secondswhich was the case with Melit's very difficult. Even putting something together to remember somebody by, it's not easy to let go.
Windy City Times: How did you feel once you finally turned Mel's quilt into the AIDS Memorial Quilt?
Bruce Barnes:I had a lot of friends with me. I had a good support team.
Windy City Times: The quilt is no longer under Cleve Jones but under corporate ownerships. How do you feel about that?
Bruce Barnes:I'm hurt because I think that the people who started it in San Francisco, the people who got the space donated, the people who got Kodak to document it, the people who busted their butts every time we wanted to do a major display in D.C. should have a say.
Windy City Times: When you started working in Chicago on behalf of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, who were some of your allies?
Bruce Barnes:Obviously, [ Ald. ] Helen Shiller. She was the only one who would stand up for the fact that funding was needed for people living with AIDS in Chicago. She went up against the city and demanded funding from [ Mayor Richard ] Daley and got that money because she was just so persistent.
Windy City Times: What was Chicago's response when the AIDS Memorial Quilt was brought here?
Bruce Barnes:It was great. They had about 66,000 people go through the display. It was featured at Navy Pier back in 1988. It was at the McCormick place twice but we were way down in the second lower basement of the original McCormick place. The floors were dirty. It was a dingy, low-ceiling area. It wasn't a big white area where they would put the auto show or something nice like that. So, it was hard for the public to find it, but people still came to see it. A lot of people still came to see it when it was down there.
Windy City Times: How do you feel the quilt helped people cope?
Bruce Barnes:Initially, it wasn't so much about helping people to cope. Originally, it was about getting the word out and educating people. We still need to educate people that there is still a huge crisis out there. The NAMES Project did that very effectively with its displays.
Windy City Times: So many people who were living with AIDS worked on the quilt, some even died while touring with the NAMES Project. How do you feel about that?
Bruce Barnes:This was a goal. This was a destination for some people. They had lost so many friends. They were sick. They wanted to get there. They went and that was the end of their journey. They didn't have anything more they wanted to accomplish. It's like the old man who has 30 grandchildren and has to wait for everyone to get assembled in the bedroom, so that he can say goodbye, tell them to listen to their moms and dads, and help out, and then dies shortly after the last person says goodbye to him. It's just amazing how people can hold out. I saw that time and time again.
Windy City Times: Why do you think the quilt grew in popularity among supporters and volunteers?
Bruce Barnes:It was like the HIV virus; it knew no bounds. It grew because of love, care, and dedication, and a bunch of people who wanted to memorialize those who have gone on and educate the people who were ignorant. It's done a very good job.
Windy City Times: How can people keep the memory of the AIDS Memorial Quilt alive?
Bruce Barnes: I would love to see the NAMES Project mount another large display. I don't' know if that can be done. I don't know if there is the volunteerism and motivation that was out there.
Windy City Times: You have a visual library of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Where do you go from here?
Bruce Barnes:I'm working to mount a display for when the U.S. Conference on AIDS comes to Chicago in November. Eventually, the collection will go to the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University. I realize it doesn't do anyone any good just to keep it [ the pictures ] in my house at this point. At least, they will have a permanent home there.