AIDS Memorial Garden

An exhibit that tells the story of LGBTQ history would be incomplete without acknowledging the devastating impact AIDS had on an entire generation of gay men.  Of course, as we know, AIDS was not simply confined to gay men but tragically they bore the brunt of the epidemic in the 1980s and ’90s. The AIDS Memorial Garden pays tribute to all who perished during that time, those who survived, and those friends and loved ones left behind who still grieve the loss.

The AIDS Memorial Garden is located on the exterior southeast side of the museum building and is accessible even when the museum is closed.  The Garden has several sections:

Enso Flower Garden

Islander Terry Welch drew on his many years as a Japanese garden designer and Japanese art collector to create a simple yet elegant circular flower garden filled with white flowers.

Enso, the circle, celebrates togetherness. We were and ARE in this life together in its manifestations. So we recognize this huge loss in a celebratory way with the purity of plants that produce white blossoms in remembrance of our brother martyrs and those of us who survived the holocaust. In a larger sense, it is meant to capture the ‘togetherness’ that all conscious seeking people on the planet share with one another.

Lost To AIDS

Immediately outside the museum on either side of the exit door are an AIDS timeline and tile AIDS quilt, titled “Lost To AIDS” that commemorates a number of island residents lost to AIDS.  The tile quilt was created by Vashon Island High School art students as part of a larger exhibit for World AIDS Day 2018.

AIDS 101

AIDS Activism Photographs

Behind the Enso flower garden is a display of AIDS activism photographs by islander Dana Schuerholz (see gallery of photos) and a large photo of a number of Islanders marching in the 1993 March on Washington.

AIDS At Home

To the right of the activist photographs is a display describing the response of a number of Vashon residents to the AIDS crisis over the years.