Five local artists will bring The AMP to life

The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway commissioned five artists to create a series of small-scale temporary artworks and performances for the AMPlify Memory Project. Beginning June through November 2019 the temporary art installations and performances will be situated at various locations in and around the future permanent site of The AMP, including the north edge of Cal Anderson Park and the Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.

The AMPlify Memory Project (6MB pdf) invited artists trained under the AMP’s Public Art Bootcamp to create temporary artworks that will bring awareness, remembrance, and reflection to HIV/AIDS, setting the stage for the permanently-sited projects.

Selected artists and projects:

Clyde Petersen

Drone Butch Blues, performance
Saturday, June 22; 6 p.m.
Cal Anderson Park, NW corner near the Chinese Scholar Tree

The music of Drone Butch Blues is based on writings by contemporary and historic GLBTQI authors like David Wojnarowicz, Joan Nestle and Tom Spanbauer. Topics of secret and forbidden love, sex with strangers, the lives of hustlers, the lasting impact of AIDS, historic events and rebellions, are all interwoven with personal narrative and oral histories. The entire album will be performed on June 22 at Cal Anderson Park, and a screen-printed poster with lyrics to Our Forbidden Country will be given to all attendees.

David Rue

A Physical Homage, performances
3rd Fridays, June through November, 5:30pm

The dancing body will be used to create a temporary living homage to those that dedicated their voice to the AIDS epidemic while also celebrating the lives of those affected by it. A series of curated pop up performances will exemplify the physical intersection of exuberance, effervescence, and resilience.

• June 21, Students from the School of Spectrum Dance Theater, Capitol Hill light rail station, South Mezzanine;
• July 19, Randy Ford, Capitol Hill light rail station, North Entrance;
• August 16, Kyle Bernbach & Gilbert Small, Northwest Corner of Cal Anderson Park;
• September 20, Nia Amina-Minor, Capitol Hill light rail station, North Entrance;
• October 18, Marco Farroni, Cal Anderson Park, near fountain;
• November 15, Dani Tirrell, Capitol Hill light rail station, North Entrance.

Gabriel Stromberg

Taking Shape
On view June 13—November 15, 2019
Sited on fencing along Broadway, between E John St and Denny Ave E.

Taking Shape interprets the evolution of queer history and identity through a sequence of forms. Starting with the pink triangle, the universal emblem of LGBTQI empowerment, a series of shapes progresses from contained and static geometry to the image of a circle—a symbol which evokes the concepts of connectedness and fluidity.

Pete Rush

Condom Quilt
On view June 13—November 15, 2019
Sited on fencing along Broadway, between E John St and Denny Ave E.

Alongside the rise of the AIDS epidemic was a sudden and widespread use of condoms. The natural act of having sex suddenly became a scary proposition for many. Condom wrappers attached in a patchwork quilt pattern will depict symbolic and human heart shapes, bringing joy and delight while transforming a symbol previously seen as a harbinger of doom, into something to be celebrated.

Timothy White Eagle

There Comes a Time When You Have to Give Them Back
On view June 13—November 15, 2019
Sited on fencing around the Chinese Scholar tree at the corner of Denny Ave E & Nagle Place.

In Apache tradition, the Gaan or Mountain Spirits are called to bring healing. Dancers embody the Gaan while wearing elaborate headdresses or crowns, and it is said that the moment the crown touches the head, the individual is gone and Spirit is now present. The artworks will be representations of loved ones lost to AIDS, with symbolic faces and crowns. The faces will be drawn with soluble charcoal paint, which will slowly fade while the permanent crowns remain.