Health Fitness :: Health
AIDS Walk 2005 :: On Your Mark by David Foucher
EDGE PublisherMonday May 23, 2005 “I can’t believe it’s been that long,” says Will Cook, Design Director of Sametz Blackstone Associates, of the design he created in 1990 for the annual AIDS Walk. “That was a incredible thing to be part of. That logo – I think they used that for five years.”
Cook speaks of the “From All Walks of Life” logo (seen above left) that he helped design sixteen years ago for the fourth walk. It’s a graphic design that brought together four unique individuals, each tied to the disease in a different way. Their stories – and millions of stories like theirs – helped fight the disease, the money they raised engendering the care and research required to extend lives.
Sixteen years later, their stories are forgotten, but a wisp of memory for those who experienced the surge of support in the late 80s and early 90s. AIDS Action Committee’s Paul Twitchell sought to rekindle those memories when he and the AIDS Action team called Sametz Blackstone to bring back the logo for the 2005 walk.
“Sametz Blackstone was there at the beginning,” recalls Twitchell. “They’re close with the cause. It was like working with family, actually. You could tell that they were personally committed to getting this right from the moment we called them.”
Cook agrees.
“They wanted the logo to be a little nostalgic,” he states. “A lot of people have become uninterested in the AIDS Walk. They wanted to get those people back.”
To both men, the need is great; it is estimated that 22,000 individuals are currently living with HIV in Massachusetts, and in an era where government funding is consistently being cut from AIDS support and prevention budgets, private support is more critical than ever.
“We’re trying to encourage the gay community to walk with us,” admits Twitchell. “In 1990 we raised $3 million dollars to fight AIDS. Last year we raised $1.1 million. And this walk is really, really important to us. It’s the largest event we have to raise private funds.”
Twitchell also points out that the source of the funds is just as important as the money itself.
“Private funds allow us to keep the government out of our programs,” he asserts. “We don’t want them to be the only ones deciding how best to fight AIDS.”
Cook and his team, working for well below cost, set about updating the logo.
“We did a photo shoot with AIDS Action in 1990; those people in the photos had great stories. We just knew we’d find great stories again for this year,” he says. “AIDS Action Committee chose the models; they know the stories best. We encouraged them to find us a diverse group – all genders, races and ages.
“Each quadrant of the logo has a different person in it, and we have three versions of the logo – so there are twelve people in all.”
While renowned photographer Joel Benjamin shot the photography (his efforts were entirely donated to the cause), AIDS Action personnel interviewed the subjects. Cook recalls that some of the stories he heard really impacted him.
“One person has been in every single walk,” he recollects. “All 19 of them. He’s coming back this year for his 20th. And there was a man who is a second generation walker. His parents walked with him when he was in a stroller. Now he’s walking himself. Something like that makes you realize how long this disease has been going on.”
Once the photography was complete, Cook set about altering the photographs and injecting them into the established “four quadrant” design. The result?
“I think it’s fantastic,” offers Twitchell. “People who were there in the early years of the AIDS epidemic – this logo brings them back.”
But will it work?
Cook and Twitchell are both part of the GLBT community; as such, they hope to reach out to that community through their work.
“We want gay people to walk,” Cook challenges. “I think it’s really up to us to help people understand that the epidemic is far from over. We do very little about it. We don’t help to stop it.”
“Last year we had fewer people walking,” adds Twitchell. “Remember – in 1986 there were a total of three walks in this city. Ours was one of them. This year, there are thirty-five walks for a variety of causes. People have gotten complacent about AIDS but they’re also getting complacent about walks.
“AIDS Action is always looking for innovative ways to fundraise. We’ve been on the forefront of that for decades. We always look for new opportunities. But the walk is more than just a fundraiser. It promotes awareness, performs outreach, and creates community. Every email from every walker that goes out to family members asking for support is a reminder to them that this is not over yet. Every time the walk is mentioned the word is getting out.”
Both men applaud the strides in medical science that have provided longevity for those living with HIV and AIDS – but each points out that the work is far from complete.
“A lot has changed,” remarks Cook, “but a lot needs to be done. That’s the challenge we have as a community – to get out there and show our strength. We need to remember that people are still dying. We need to remind others that this is not over.”
Twichell concurs. “We were all there twenty years ago; and we remember what it was like. This logo, this walk, these stories. It’s about reaching out to new generations, and helping them understand why the fight against AIDS is so important – and the history we lose if we forget.”
|
|
|
Email
Print
Share