‘Donna’ – Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt panel

Quilt panel, part of Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt, in memory of 'Donna' cotton / paint, made by Ian Newnham, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1992 Rectangular quilt panel, landscape orientation with a calico background. On the left hand side, various figures painted in primary colours and black face appear to be climbing a steep slope to the top right corner of the panel. The figures are on a background of diagonal stripes. There is a second group of blue and red wash painted stripes stretching diagonally from the lower middle to the top right corner. In the bottom right corner, the name 'Donna' is painted in black paint. This quilt panel is in memory of Donna (surname not known). The date of her birth and death are also not known. According to the book, Yardley, A. & Langley, K., 'Unfolding: The Story of the Australian and New Zealand AIDS Quilt Projects', McPhee Gribble Publishers, Ringwood, Victoria, 1994, pp 92-93, Ian stated 'the panel conveys to me a lot of the futility associated with the individual's capacity to handle the HIV positive issue alone. It's a panel which shows figures climbing what appears to be an endless torturous path which appears to have virtually no end to it, but does perhaps provide some hope that at the end of the journey there may be some respite. Ian and Josephine Newnham cared for HIV positive children including Shaun (Donna's son).