Keith Haring – Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt panel

Rectangular quilt panel, portrait orientation with a central stylised face and neck appliqued on a landscape style background. The face consists of a white appliqued material background with Haring style figures painted as eyes with a pink triangle forming the mouth. The neck is painted with purple scales and there are brown quilted corduroy trees on either side with a painted purple weather vane on the top of the head. On each side of the face is green Christmas style material with a pink appliqued strip across the panel. On the lower third of the panel is pale blue material with 'Keith HARING ' in green paint, 'Kee schlechda buuwa' in red paint. This is Pennsylvania Dutch, and translates as possibly 'not bad boys' or 'no bad boys'. There are two thick black painted lines on either side of the lettering with a plastic and metal round badge on the top left. The upper section of the panel is also pale blue with a machine appliqued padded white cloud with a black painted outline of the kneeling figure 'The Radiant Baby' which became Keith's symbol. 'Kutztown' is printed in reddish brown with PA (see history) printed on tape in purple. Above this is an appliqued purple round symbol. This quilt is in memory of Keith Haring (b.04. 05. 1958 - d 16. 02. 1990). Keith Haring was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, USA and grew up in Kutztown PA. He was a well known graffitti artist having world wide exhibitions. He visited Australia in 1984 and painted wall murals in Melbourne. The mural at 35 Johnson St, Collingwood is one of the largest surviving murals outside the USA and has been nominated for protection with Heritage Victoria and Sydney. In 1986 he designed the New York Gay Pride logo. In 1985 he opened the Pop Shop in Oxford street.There were over a thousand people at his memorial service in 1990 in New York. He established the Keith Haring Foundation in 1989 to provide funding and imagery to AIDS organisations and children's programs. This quilt was used by the South East Area Health Service as part of its education program. The quilt would be taken out and displayed at different venues. An information sheet for the quilt was provided. The information sheet for this panel says 'Keith Haring. Was / is an American popular artist. This panel was made by a friend of his sisters who was an exchange student in Australia when Keith died. Keith was famous for those figures of an indeterminate sex. He did a lot of work as both a volunteer and an artist for AIDS organisations in America such as ACT UP. He was a friend of people like Grace Jones and Madonna. In her movie 'In Bed With Madonna', she gives a benefit concert in New York and dedicates it to a friend that does not have the 'luxury of living', that was for Keith Haring' (These notes were provided by Douglas Knox of the South East Area Health Service. For a period of time Mr Knox was Convenor of the Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project. (These notes were provided by Douglas Knox of the South East Area Health Service. For a period of time Mr Knox was Convenor of the Australian AIDS Memorial Quilt Project. He is now (2013) with the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District HIV/AIDS & Related Programs Unit)