AIDS quilt display begins today at Cooper

Exhibit contains panels in memory of virus' victims

Beth Muhlenkamp made a memorial cast in cloth.

Muhlenkamp, a junior and president of the Eta Sigma Gamma healthscience honorary, made a patch for a quilt that became one of thelargest quilts in the world.

Its purpose is to create a memorial for individuals who losttheir lives to AIDS and HIV.

Part of that quilt will be displayed Dec. 4-5 and Dec. 8-9 inthe rotunda of the Cooper Science building.

Though Muhlenkamp's patch will not make it to Ball State, shesaid she is excited that part of the quilt will be available forBall State students and faculty to view.

"I'm so glad we were able to get it this week," Muhlenkamp said."Everybody wants a panel for World AIDS Day."

World AIDS Day was celebrated Monday, a day used to encourageAIDS awareness, remember those lost from the disease, and push forfunding.

Jeffrey Clark, professor of physiology and health science,decided to bring part of the quilt for his death and dyingclass.

Clark said he wanted to use a portion of the quilt for a lessonin a risk behaviors unit. Clark said his students will observe thequilt and then discuss its method of memorialization.

"From what I know, each section is made by a friend or familymember of someone who died from AIDS," Clark said.

Two panels of the quilt will be available for viewing. Eachpanel offers the patches memorializing multiple individuals.

Clark said the Cooper Science building was the only venue openfor the quilt, thus limiting the number of panels to be laid outfor viewing.

Information tables from other organizations will be set up nearthe quilt, Clark said. Eta Sigma Gamma, Open Door community serviceagency, the East Central Indiana AIDS Task Force and the healtheducation department of the Amelia T. Wood Health Center willparticipate.

Muhlenkamp said she is a firm believer in AIDS education andbecame interested in the subject in high school.

She involved herself in the HIV AIDS Peer Care Team to helpspread information about the disease.

After viewing a portion of the quilt in high school, Muhlenkampbecame more interested.

"It overwhelmed me," Muhlenkamp said. "Those are people's liveson there."

John Moser, founder of the Jay County AIDS Task Force, was theperson Muhlenkamp memorialized in her section of the quilt afterhis death in 2000. An assignment in an English class sparked theidea and Muhlenkamp contacted the new director of the task force toobtain more information about Moser.

Muhlenkamp used different fabrics to symbolize the differentaspects of Moser's life.

Moser always wore a scrub top, so Muhlenkamp put that in thepatch. She used fabric with a city print to represent Moser's loveof big cities and rural material with cows on it because Jay Countyis a rural area.

She said she also found fabric with AIDS ribbons on it.

"I put a poem the director had written (for Moser) after hedied," Muhlenkamp said.


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