Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Records of the Portland Chapter of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
NAMES Project. Portland Chapter (Or.)
Coll 1100
3.15 cubic feet
1 record carton; 4 letter document cases; 1 flat box (11x14); 4 folders (11x14) in shared flat box; 3 folders (14x18) in shared flat box; 2 oversize folders (30x42)
1985-2003
Records of the Portland, Oregon, chapter of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, including administrative and event records, videos, and educational materials. The Portland chapter of the NAMES Project, an AIDS activism organization based in San Francisco, California, was founded in 1988 and participated in showings of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Portland and in Washington, D.C. The chapter closed in 2003.
English
Spanish; Castilian
Chinese
Korean
Tagalog
The Portland Chapter of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was founded in October 1988, after the quilt completed a national tour with Portland, Oregon, as its last stop. The quilt is a display consisting of thousands of panels, each representing someone who has died of AIDS. James Bryson (1962-1997) was the Portland chapter's first chair. The chapter displayed quilt panels in Portland in 1990 and 1993, and participated in displays of the full AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington, D.C., in 1988, 1992, and 1996. In 1994, the chapter also developed education kits for schoolchildren from kindergarten to twelfth grade. The chapter officially closed in June 2003.
Sources: Collection materials; article in the Oregonian, "The Fabric of Hope," December 2, 1993, page 1; article in Just Out, "Hats off!" June 6, 2003, page 10.
Records of the Portland Chapter of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, an AIDS activist organization in Oregon that participated in displays of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. These records include materials relating to displays of the quilt in Portland and in Washington, D.C.; materials relating to other events, including conferences; handbooks; informational signs; materials relating to the chapter's history; photographs; and video recordings. Most of the photographs are part of an album that also includes ephemera and clippings. The videos include television spots and footage of the AIDS Memorial Quilt being displayed in Portland in 1993. Also part of this collection is the education kit that the chapter used to teach schoolchildren about AIDS and the AIDS Memorial Quilt. The kit includes published materials such as books, as well as videos.
Collection is open for research.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Records of the Portland Chapter of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, Coll 1100, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Collection is arranged in two series:
- Series 1: Administrative and event records, memorabilia, and videos
- Series 2: Education kit
Gifts of Dawna Bell, August and October 2024 (RL2024-061; RL2024-075).
Bomber jacket and buttons were separated to Museum Collections, Oregon Historical Society, and are viewable online in the OHS Museum Collections portal, https://museumcollection.ohs.org/, under object ID number 2024-33.
Other collections at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library relating to AIDS activism include the Cascade AIDS Project records, Coll 859; and the Gay Monteverde collection of Cascades AIDS Project and AIDS education materials, Coll 888.
Researcher access to video recordings on VHS cassettes in the collection is limited for preservation purposes; contact library staff to inquire about access. Fees may apply.
Processed by Jeffrey A. Hayes in 2025. During processing, some original file folders were retained, while materials in binders were rehoused. A plaque awarded to the organization was photographed (see Box 1, Folder 26), but the plaque itself was not retained.
NAMES Project. Portland Chapter (Or.)--Records and correspondence
NAMES Project Foundation--Records and correspondence
AIDS activists--Oregon--Portland
NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
AIDS (Disease)--Oregon
Portland
Moving Images
administrative records
books
video recordings (physical artifacts)
Administrative and event records, memorabilia, and videos
Series 1
1987-2003
Materials relating to chapter's early history
1989-1990
1996
1
1
Assorted background information about the chapter
1995-2001
1
2
Chronology of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
2002
1
3
Chapter accreditation applications
1995-1997
1
4-6
Chapter accreditation certificates
1995-2002
1
7
Annual chapter agreement and supporting documentation
2002
1
8
Annual chapter agreement documentation, timelines, order form, and accompanying letter
2002
1
9
Timeline of AIDS Memorial Quilt displays in Portland from 1998 to 2003
circa 2003
1
10
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display in Washington, D.C.
1989
1
11
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display in Washington, D.C.
1992
1
12
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display in Portland
1993
1
13
AIDS Memorial Quilt Rose Bowl program
1996
1
14
Advertisements for AIDS Memorial Quilt Display in Washington, D.C.
1996
1
15
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display in Washington, D.C.
1996
1
16
World AIDS Day records
1993-2002
1
17-23
Other displays of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
1998-2003
1
24
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display at the First Congregational Church of Portland
2000
1
25
Acceptance speech by Dawna Bell at Spirit of Portland Awards; photograph of Spirit of Portland award plaque
2003 June
1
26
Event flyers
1994-1995
1
27
Remarks made at National Conference
1993 October
1
28
National Conference records
1994-1995
1
29-30
Northwest Regional Conference packet
1995
1
31
Northwest Regional Conference records
2001
1
32
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display handbook
1992
1
33
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display handbook
1994 September
1
34
AIDS Memorial Quilt Display installation guide
circa 2000
1
35
Volunteer handbook
circa 2000
1
36
National Interfaith Quilt Program handbook
undated
1
37
Assorted brochures
1994-1998
1
38
Calendars for 2000, 2001, and 2002
circa 1999-2001
1
39
Committee rosters
circa 1995-2001
1
40
Meeting minutes
1994 March
1
41
Letter to Dawna Bell and enclosed clipping
1994 September
1
42
Informational pamphlet
circa 1995
1
43
Media and signage
circa 1999
1
44
Information about AIDS Memorial Quilt (in English, Chinese, Korean, and Tagalog)
circa 2000
English, Chinese, Korean, Tagalog
1
45
Assorted records
1993-2003
1
46
Lists of names
1989-1996
1
47-49
Memorial service program for James Hill Bryson
1997 October 16
2
1
Newsletters
1995
1999
2
2
Postcards of the AIDS Memorial Quilt display in Washington, D.C.; photographs of quilt sections
1992
1995
2
3
Photographs
circa 1995-1996
Oversize 6
Album of photographs, ephemera, and clippings
1988-1999
5
Posters for displays of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
1990
1993
Oversize 8
World AIDS Day proclamations by the City of Portland and Multnomah County
1990 November
Oversize 1
Informational sign about the AIDS Memorial Quilt
1997
Oversize 9
Informational signs about the AIDS Memorial Quilt (in English and Spanish)
1999-2001
English, Spanish; Castilian
Oversize 5
Thank-you card from students
undated
Oversize 2
Transcript of Nightline story about AIDS
1999 May 19
2
4
Business cards; announcement cards about chapter's closure
circa 2002
2003
2
5
Clippings
1993-2002
2
6
Video, inaugural display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in Washington, D.C.
MI 11989
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1987 October 11
6
Video, NAMES Project public service announcements by Sandy Duncan
MI 11994
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1992
6
Videos, footage of AIDS Memorial Quilt being displayed in Portland (MI 11990, MI 11992, MI 11993)
3 videocassettes (VHS)
1993
6
Video recording of television news story about the AIDS Memorial Quilt display in Washington, D.C.
MI 11995
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1996
6
Video, "Lest We Forget: The AIDS Memorial Quilt in the Capital"
MI 11991
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1996
6
Education kit
Series 2
1985-2003
Information about education kit
circa 1999
2
7-8
Education kit packet
circa 1994-2003
2
9
National High School Quilt Program materials
circa 1994-1996
2
10-11
Power Moves: A Situational Approach to HIV Prevention for High Risk Youth
1995
2
12
Report, "Update: Health and Fitness: HIV and STDs"
2000
2
13
Brochures, flyers, and pamphlets
1989-circa 1995
2
14
Books
1991-1996
3
Books and other published material (in English and Spanish)
1985-2001
English, Spanish; Castilian
4
Book, "The Quilt: Stories from the NAMES Project"
1988
Oversize 4
People United Against AIDS advertisements
circa 1990
Oversize 3
Photographs and newspaper clipping
1996
Oversize 7
Video: "'We Bring a Quilt . . .' The NAMES Project in Washington, D.C."
MI 11996
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1988
6
Video, "Someone, I tell you . . . will remember us"
MI 11999
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1993
6
Video, "Speak My Name . . ."
MI 11997
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1993
6
Video, "Voices of the Quilt"
MI 11998
1 videocassettes (VHS)
1994 September
6