AIDS Quilt

In this article from the January 31st 2007 issue of the New York Times, the dispute between Cleve Jones, creator of the quilt, and its caretaker, the Names Project Foundation is covered. It is argued that the battle goes beyond custody of the quilt, but instead reflects the changing purpose and symbolism of the AIDS quilt as the AIDS epidemic changes. Initially, the quilt was intended to raise awareness to the AIDS crisis. However, the current purpose and effectiveness of the quilt is questioned. It is argued that the impact of the quilt has diminished because it is now so big that it is rarely seen in its entirety. Also, the quilt is very expensive and has lead the National AIDS Fund to debt. Though it is undisputed that the quilt has been a significant milestone relative to the AIDS epidemic, it is also evident that the quilt may have lost its "punch" over time. 

This 1987 article from the New York Times was written when the idea of the quilt was still blossoming and the quilt was getting started. Thus, it was detailing the sentiment and symbolism of the quilt. However, it clearly doesn't anticipate any of the conflict that will arise about the quilt in future years. Therefore, it idealizes the meaning and effectiveness of the quilt while characterizing its intention. 

The Boston Globe compared the emotional response to the quilt with that of the Vietnam Memorial. However, it is important to remember that the quilt doesn't represent the enormity of the AIDS epidemic because it can't and doesn't feature every casualty. However, the Vietnam Memorial does, for it lists the name of every victim. Therefore, if the two are compared, people may think that AIDS is a smaller scale problem than it truly is.