LYNN — The Lynn Museum will host a farewell ceremony to an AIDS quilt that is hanging up in its “Through a Rainbow Lens: A Reflection on Lynn’s LGBTQ+ History” Exhibition.
The ceremony in which the names of Lynners who were lost to the AIDS crisis will be read will be held on Sept. 30 at 1 p.m. — only a few days prior to the 30-year anniversary of the quilt’s creation on Oct. 4 ,1994.
The last time an AIDS quilt was in Lynn was at Lynn Tech for World AIDS Day in 2004.
“I think it’s important to remember the people we’ve lost. AIDS had a huge impact on Lynn because of the gay bars. If you were a patron at a gay bar, you knew people from all across the North Shore… who were dying,” the Project’s Director Jim Moser said.
Moser said during their research for the “Through a Rainbow Lens: A Reflection on Lynn’s LGBTQ+ History” exhibit, they determined that at one point, there were 19 businesses that were gay bars in the city. The assumption previously was that there were five.
The quilt is 10 feet by 10 feet and includes a panel created by Claire Brewer and Mary Ellen Cocks of Saint Pius Catholic Church V in 1994.
The panel depicts a silhouette of a church, a shoe, a candle, and the words “St. Pius Catholic Community, Lynn, MA remembers all our loved ones.”
Ellen Cocks and Brewer sent the panel to the NAMES Project in Washington, DC where it became part of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, which is a living memorial to the lives lost to AIDS. The quilt is made up of nearly 50,000 panels that are each 3 feet by 6 feet, roughly the size of a grave
In a letter that was attached to the quilt, the creators of the quilt, Brewer and Ellen Cocks wrote that they did not place any particular names on the panel as to not leave someone off and to respect those who desire privacy.
Moser said that while researching LGBTQ+ history for the exhibit, curators were looking for an AIDS quilt with connections to Lynn. When they found out about the St. Pius panel, they found the story compelling and believed it would be perfect for the exhibit because of how there were no particular names on it.
Brewer and Ellen Cocks added in the letter that other local churches would not provide services to AIDS victims, but their parish community was welcoming to all people, which led to the AIDS Action Committee to refer people to their Church.
“We were privileged to serve the needs of these people. This panel is also to remember members of our community and relatives and friends who have died from AIDS,” the letter reads.
Moser said people can add to the list of names to be read at the ceremony by emailing him [email protected] or people will be able to add names while at the ceremony.
