Tacoma artist Christopher Paul Jordan has been selected to create a centerpiece artwork for The AIDS Memorial Pathway project on Capitol Hill. The artwork will be sited in a central plaza above the Sound Transit Capitol Hill link light rail station, surrounded by new multi-story residential buildings currently under construction.
Jordan was selected for his particular focus and outstanding leadership in community engagement practices in the field of public art, and his demonstrated commitment to the values and identity of The AIDS Memorial Pathway Project. Jordan’s artwork will be a key feature in the plaza, symbolizing the lives and achievements of lost individuals that need to be acknowledged and celebrated publicly as a way to illuminate and fill the gap of their absence.
The artwork will be grounded in the themes developed by Horatio Law, Lead Artist for The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway. As lead artist, Law collaborated with a design team of developers, architects, landscape architects, community members, technology artists/consultants and others to develop, plan, and scope artworks and art concepts for a community-driven memorial project honoring the impact of the AIDS epidemic on Seattle and King County. You can find The AMP master art plan here.
Artist’s Bio:
(b. 1990) Christopher Paul Jordan integrates virtual and physical public space to form infrastructures for dialogue and self-determination among dislocated people. Jordan’s paintings and sculptures are time-capsules from his work in community. His 7,000 sq ft panoramic mural from #COLORED2017 is now buried into the walls of the Carpenter’s Union Building in Tacoma where it can only be rediscovered through demolition.
Jordan’s installations and public projects have been implemented internationally including Trinidad and Tobago, Taiwan, and Mexico. His work has been recognized by the Neddy Artist Award in painting, the James W Ray Venture Project Award, the Jon Imber Fellowship, the GTCF Foundation of Art Award, and the Artist Trust Fellowship.
About The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway:
Slated to open in mid-2020, The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway will be located on the north edge of Cal Anderson Park and on the public plaza of the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station. The AMP will include multiple permanent pieces of public art, as well as a digital component to tell the story of HIV/AIDS in the region. The development around The AMP will include residential buildings with 178 affordable apartments, as well as a community room available to the public.
