The title of this recording is "Michele Cinq-Mars - NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt". It is described as: Michele Cinq-Mars, Director of Communications for the NAMES Project, talks to Ian Kember about the AIDS Memorial Quilt. It was recorded in San Francisco, United States of America on the 26th June 1991. Michele Cinq-Mars is being interviewed by Ian Kember.  Their names are spelt correctly but may appear incorrectly spelt later in the document. The duration of the recording is 10 minutes. A list of correctly spelt content keywords and tags can be found at the end of this document. A brief description of the recording is: Michele Cinq-Mars, Director of Communications for the NAMES Project, talks to Ian Kember about the AIDS Memorial Quilt. This recording was possibly made at the offices of the NAMES Project on Market Street. Ian recorded the interview for the Gay BC radio programme in Wellington, but also deposited it with the New Zealand AIDS Quilt, allowing it to be heard more widely. The content in the recording covers the 1990s decade. A brief summary of the recording is: This summary provides an overview of an audio recording featuring Michele Cinq-Mars, Director of Communications for the NAMES Project, who discusses the AIDS Memorial Quilt in an interview conducted by Ian Kember on June 26, 1991. Recorded in San Francisco, possibly at the NAMES Project office on Market Street, Cinq-Mars reflects on their personal journey with the project and broader responses to the AIDS epidemic. Cinq-Mars marks their one-year anniversary with the project and explains their initial encounter with the quilt in Washington D. C. in 1988. While working for the American Response to AIDS Campaign, Cinq-Mars was moved deeply by the memorial, which they describe as unlike any other, portraying not just names but the lives, hobbies, preferences, and diversity of those lost to the epidemic. The quilt, which began as a politically empowering project, displays panels representing people who passed away from AIDS, illustrating the virus's broad, indiscriminate impact. Cinq-Mars underlines the difficulty in finding a single point of failure in the spread of AIDS, emphasizing it is not like the mechanical failure leading to a plane crash but rather a complex issue exacerbated by a lack of education. In their current role, Cinq-Mars is focused on coordinating quilt displays across the United States, providing support and promotional materials to local host committees to ensure the memorial reaches as many people as possible. Despite regional differences across the country, they note that everywhere they have taken the quilt, it has attracted support and elicited strong emotional reactions. Cinq-Mars observes that the quilt has achieved significant recognition, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and an Academy Award for a related documentary, "Common Threads." Additionally, they contemplate the public's perception of people living with AIDS, advocating for the importance of recognizing them as individuals, not victims, and noting positive shifts in media representation over time. The quilt's itinerary is expansive, encompassing various locations, and while not all panels travel to each display, they are all part of the overarching memorial. Cinq-Mars discusses the goal of returning the quilt in its entirety to Washington D. C. in 1992, highlighting the educational and emotional significance of the quilt - even contemplating its future role beyond the discovery of a potential cure for HIV/AIDS. Lastly, regarding the marketing of related merchandise, it is mentioned that there are connections with Australia, and there may be opportunities for promoting AIDS memorial related items, including in regions such as New Zealand. The full transcription of the recording begins:  You've been involved with the quilt project. For how long? Michelle? I just had my one year anniversary with the Names project last week. And how did you first become involved? I learned about the quote first when it was displayed in Washington DC in 1988. I was working on the American Response to AIDS Campaign for the Centres for Disease Control, which is one of the departments run by the federal government. Um, a group of colleagues and myself who were working on that particular campaign chose to go to the quilt exhibit in Washington that year, and at that point I met a lot of the key people and, uh, learned of the quilts involvement or learned of the quilts, purpose and existence. Then, in 1989 on a freelance basis, I assisted the local Washington crew in helping them with that particular display. You remember what it was like when you first saw the and how you felt I was overwhelmed. To this day, I do not know of another memorial that has struck me in the same way that the quilt has. When you walk into a cemetery in America, you see names When you see the Vietnam Memorial in the United States again, you see names. When you see the quilt, you see more than names you see lives. You see people, you see hobbies you see likes and dislikes, and men and women and Children. It's a cross spectrum truly of the United States and of the epidemic internationally. Uh, there's been nothing in comparison in my life. It's almost as if, um if they are the survivors or the the the people who have died in an air crash. It's so random and across such a wide spectrum. Is that how you think? Yes, in that, Um, all the people who were represented on the quilt are all there for the same reason they all died of AIDS, and that is the the political empowerment behind its origin. Um, the difficulty comes together when you see how many different people are affected and no rhyme or reason for it. When you have a plane crash, something failed on that one plane. When you're talking about the AIDS epidemic, it's very difficult to pinpoint error. It's, um, lack of education. If anything, what's your involvement with the project now? Currently, I'm the director of communications for the Names project. So my task are to work with the local host committees specifically in the United States, who are preparing for a quilt display. So in Dartmouth, New Hampshire, for their display, I help them promote it, or I give them the materials to promote it locally so that they can then get a large amount of people to go to their display. Yeah, I'm just looking at your wall behind you in the map of the United States, and I'm just wondering, Are there hot zones and cold zones? Are there zones which are more responsive, more more supportive of having a full there than others? I'm looking at the redneck middle Spal belt there. At the moment, you would think that might be the case, and yet there is support wherever we have gone. The quilt draws that out in people. Cleve mentioned that you would have to be a stone not to be able to feel what the the message that the quilt is trying to give you when you're at a display or when you actually see it in front of you. I think that's really the case. Certainly there are people that don't believe in the quilt or don't believe that gay and lesbians should exist or that people with age should continue to live. And yet we have received an overwhelming amount of support, everything from being nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize to the winning of the Academy Award for common threads to just playing Jane and Joe coming out to a display in Montana. In the press release I was looking at earlier, you were making some explanations about the difference between being an AIDS victim and being a person with AIDS. And and I know my listening, listening audience will know something about the difference between that. Have you had any impact on the media of that kind of information? I think every little bit counts. We are certainly not alone in putting out that message or trying to get folks to understand that it is people are not victim and that individuals are continuing to live with the virus and that they are not. It's not an automatic death sentence upon knowing that you're infected. Um, I think because we're part of a larger body that is working towards this change, that yes, we have made an impact. I don't I can't say that I'd be willing to measure that impact. But certainly it helps. And I've seen the media respond in the past. In my 23 years watching the epidemic and the news stories that result because of it, you do see a change. I was just looking at your itinerary as to where the quilt is going to be travelling to, and it's very extensive. Very extensive. Uh, programme. Uh, is it the same quilt that's travelled to all centres? It is not the same modular units that Cleve described, but it is all part of the same name, part of Gates Memorial Quilt. So in other words, there are different panels that are going to each one of these displays. But, um, it's all part of the same quote. When the quilt appeared in Washington, was that the total quilt? Then every panel that was yes, actually, all three times in 1987 the quilt was displayed all together with almost 2000 panels. Then, in 1988 there were almost 9000 panels and then 1989. There were more than 10,000, and today We're at more than 14,000 and we're considering returning with the quilt and in its entirety to Washington DC in 1992. That's something that we are trying to make happen on your war. 1992. That's what you have in mind that the thing that will be sure that you probably have the same president at that time, and that seems to be a big problem. You do a bit a bit more as to how George Bush has been difficult for you here for the AIDS cause. He certainly has not pulled through on a couple of issues that we are very concerned about. He hasn't lifted the immigration restrictions to make it possible for individuals who are HIV positive to enter the country for the international conferences that are held or for quote displays. If you're talking about our own entity, there has been an increase in funding over the past decade, but there certainly wasn't as much attention paid to it at the beginning of the decade, and it's difficult to wage right now whether that increase in funding is really trickling down to the local communities that need it. A lot of it is is distributed throughout the government bureaucracy. How was working on the AIDS school changed or affected you as a as a job as a career for you? I know, but, um uh, A career. Oh. Oh, that's a difficult one. I was talking with somebody the other day and and, um, saying how difficult it is to separate your emotional feelings from the work that you have to do. And the proof of the pudding is that it's it's impossible. It is is my life right now. And I think that everyone here working at the names project, all 20 of us would without a doubt to say that it is our life at the moment and whether we move on from this life to do other things or whether we're content to let, um, let it stay that way until the project ends. I don't know. That's an individual choice, but it certainly is a group of dedicated individuals. Here is the end of the project on site or you you mentioned that fatal red end. I just wonder whether you know something more than we do. Um, actually, no, um, we'd like to hope so. wouldn't we? Yes, yeah, you. And that's a difficult struggle. Here's me struggling with the question because it's a hard one. I want the quilt to close up and and one day because I don't want to see any more of my friends and family members die of this horrible epidemic. And yet there is such a powerful educational process that happens when one views the quilt. No matter if you're familiar with the AIDS epidemic or not that, um, that kind of educational process, I think is invaluable. And so in a sense, even if we find a cure for the virus, I think, um, having that educational opportunity for kids to participate in for, um, for anyone who's at risk, I think that education can still take place even if there is a cure. Now I know that you've got quite a lot of merchant dies available for sale. Have you thought of advertisers? Even in Australia and New Zealand, we have actually a quilt project in Australia. I think actually, I'm gonna have to check on that for you. And I'm not sure. I'm just thinking New Zealand magazines could well carry the advertisement for you for the memorabilia. The election days you got for sale? I can. After this programme finishes, I can broadcast what is available. But no way can anyone write all that down? Right. But, um I think there would be support for the OK. What we can do is I can put you in touch with the person that is, um, part of the Quil Project in Australia. I think it's Australia, not New Zealand. And, uh, her name is Libby, and she can provide all that information to you. Um, as at the foundation level, our merchandise merchandise is certainly available, and we encourage it to be sold internationally. But I just want you to make sure that, um you touch base with her so we can do that. The full transcription of the recording ends. A list of keywords/tags describing the recording follow. These tags contain the correct spellings of names and places which may have been incorrectly spelt earlier in the document. The tags are seperated by a semi-colon: 1990s ; AIDS Memorial Quilt ; Australia ; Bible ; Close Up (television) ; HIV / AIDS ; Ian Kember ; Job ; Joe ; Michele Cinq-Mars ; NAMES Project ; New Zealand AIDS Memorial Quilt ; People ; San Francisco ; United States of America ; Vietnam ; audience ; career ; change ; children ; choice ; coming out ; death ; education ; emotional ; empowerment ; epidemic ; family ; feelings ; friends ; funding ; gay ; government ; immigration ; individual ; lesbian ; listening ; magazines ; media ; memorial ; merchandise ; news ; opportunity ; other ; peace ; press release ; quilt ; spectrum ; struggle ; support ; time ; touch ; victim ; video ; women ; work. The original recording can be heard at this website https://www.pridenz.com/aids_memorial_quilt_michele_cinq_mars.html. The master recording is also archived at the Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington, New Zealand.  For more details visit their website https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.1089250. Please note that this document may contain errors or omissions - you should always refer back to the original recording to confirm content.