The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway

Immortalizing Messages of Resistance

In 2019, our studio was awarded the AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway project, a commission to create permanent large-scale public artworks memorializing and celebrating the legacy of Seattle’s HIV/AIDS-affected community. As a majority queer-identified studio based in Seattle, the impact of HIV/AIDS on our community is deeply personal. Drawing inspiration from the history of activists and artists like Maya Lin, Gran Fury, Guerrilla Girls, and Robert Indiana, we set out to create a visual experience called “We’re already here” that would honor collective action and resilience. This project was not only about memorializing loss but also about celebrating the transformative power of activism within the LGBTQ+ community.

The title of the piece comes from an article that appeared in the Seattle Times in April of 1990 about a public demonstration in Madison Valley to raise support for an AIDS care center that would later become the Bailey-Boushay House. In the article, demonstration leader Brian Day was asked by the interviewer to respond to residents who were opposed to the center being built—who were fearful of people with AIDS coming into their neighborhood. Day’s response was, “We’re already here…”

Shared History

Our work for the AMP went on to include wayfinding and signage across the pathway and designing and developing The AMP’s website. By incorporating design elements directly inspired by AIDS activism—such as bold typography, strong color choices, and protest calls to action—we created work that both memorializes the past and fosters a sense of shared history.

The outdoor public artworks of the AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway are owned and maintained by the City’s Office of Arts and Culture, to be displayed in perpetuity.

Client: The AMP: AIDS Memorial Pathway
Era: 2019 - In Perpetuity
Type: Physical, Digital, Environmental, Strategy
  • Principals: Michael Ellsworth, Corey Gutch
  • Creative Direction: Gabriel Stromberg
  • Environmental Graphics: Michael Evans
  • Fabrication and Installation: Davis Sign
  • Lighting Consultant: Luma Lighting
  • Landscape Design: Jonathan Morley, Berger Partnership
  • Landscaper: Green Tech Excavation
  • Photography: Judson Felder
  • Special thanks: The AMP CAG, Rebecca Johnson, Jason Plourde, Michele Hasson, Marlys Erickson, Tom Rasmussen, Kristen Ramirez, Kelly Goold, Maija McKnight, Mark Adreon, Anne McGettigan, Tim Burak, Ro Yoon, Rosette Royale, Fred Swanson, Dr. Bob Wood, Jeff Sakuma, Grace Kim, and Mira Mui
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