THE JEROME PROJECT -  preserving Jerome Caja's artistic legacy
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"Venus in Cleveland" (detail) - by Jerome Caja
(nail polish, enamel, glitter, and white out)
Excerpted from: Jerome After the Pageant
7 x 4 in., unknown date

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​"Connie Krishna" - by Anna van der Meulen
Single image from the “Hey Honey” series
February 1983, 18in x 12in

Jerome Caja  (1958 – 1995)
-- Painter, Prankster, Performer --
Jerome Caja was born in Cleveland into a Catholic family of 11 boys. He majored in studio art at Cleveland State and earned a master's degree in ceramics at the San Francisco Art Institute.

This humble, self-possessed artist painted exquisite miniatures with everything that you would find in a drag queen's handbag: nail polish, glitter, make-up, lipstick, and eye liner. His canvases included pistachio shells, lockets, discarded bottle caps, and small scraps of paper.

Jerome's iconography pays homage to a wide cast of saints and sinners: Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Saint Lucy, Satan, imps, priests, cherubs, demented clowns, cannibalistic birds, pigs, and gay icons.

Jerome died at the height of the AIDS-Art-Activism era in San Francisco from complications related to HIV.

His papers are housed in the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, and his work is collected in major museums around the country.

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"Eggs Having Turkey Dinner" - by Jerome Caja
(nail polish and enamel on metal tip tray)
Excerpted from: Jerome After the Pageant
3 3/4 x 6 3/4 x 3/8 in., 1989

Awards Given to Date

  • San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) fiscal sponsorship.
  • SFFS Filmmaker360 FilmHouse residency (one-year free private office space).
  • SFFS Filmmaker360 FilmHouse alumni anchor tenant (six-month below-market rate office space).
  • Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) MediaMaker Fellowship (one-year film development program).
  • BAVC Preservation Access Grant (analog-to-digital video preservation transfers at a heavily discounted rate).
  • Four long-term professional interns (SFAI graduate, SFFS assistant film editor, SF State animator, and Belgian art historian).

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"The Satanic Worm" (detail) - by Jerome Caja
(
nail polish and eyeliner on bottle cap)
1993, Unknown dimensions

Stay Informed

If you are interested in receiving updates on what is happening with Jerome and his art, please sign up for The Jerome Project Newsletter by filling out our contact form.

Thank You to the NEA

The Jerome Project is particularly grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts for its continued support. The NEA has generously funded BAVC's MediaMaker Fellowship and Preservation Access programs. We have benefited greatly from both!

A Call for Art & Stories

Right now we are looking for personal photos, film clips, paintings, and most of all, stories related to Jerome and his art. If you knew Jerome or if you know of anybody who did, or if you ran in similar circles with him, please share your stories. We are excited to hear, document, and work with your memories

Currently we are collecting extensive oral interviews from key individuals in his life -- friends and family, as well as community members, artists, and art critics. If you would like to participate, please contact us.
Participate & Get Involved

Welcome to THE JEROME PROJECT

The Jerome Project is a multi-platform art history project to preserve, protect, and promote the artistic legacy of the late Jerome Caja (1958-1995). The goal is to bring greater visibility and accessibility to Jerome’s paintings and performances.

Here you will find descriptions of the seven main projects:
  1. Feature-length documentary film
  2. Digital catalogue raisonné
  3. Revival art shows
  4. Biographical timeline
  5. Large-format fine art book
  6. Historical preservation
  7. Non-profit foundation dedicated to Jerome's art

The film "JEROME and the Art of Sainthood" is the driving force for all these projects. We welcome and encourage your contributions.
Provocative Material & Cultural Context

Jerome Sunny-Side Up — Cleveland Event

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​JEROME SUNNY-SIDE UP: A Tasteful Family Celebration

The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland cordially invites you to an evening of fun, food and frolic. This is a joyful gathering of Clevelanders who are proud of their "Mistake on the Lake" roots.

The spotlight will be on the Caja family's art collection, including several additional paintings that will be on display only at this event. We will also have a public unveiling of Jerome's new AIDS Quilt panel, which will be donated to the Names Project when the show ends.
Click Here to RSVP
Location & Phone
Cleveland LGBT Community Center
​6705 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102
​(216) 651-5428

​Date & Time
​March 20, 2025
Thursday, 5:00 - 7:00

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TRANS + JEROME — Cleveland Event

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TRANS + JEROME: An Evening of Mischief and Insight

The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland teams up with The Jerome Project to bring you TRANS + JEROME: An Evening of Mischief and Insight. This is a community event in tandem with the Jerome Caja art exhibition that is currently on display, JEROME'S HOME: A Queer Show of Motherly Love.

It is an intergenerational community discussion on where Jerome Caja falls (or doesn’t fall) on the LGBTQ+ spectrum, and the importance of both free speech and radical self expression in America during a hateful cultural war targeting trans people today.


The goal is to inspire heartfelt conversations around full acceptance (not just tolerance) of LGBTQ+ and HIV+ people.​
Click Here for More Details
Location & Phone
Cleveland LGBT Community Center
​6705 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102
​(216) 651-5428

​Date & Time
​February 7, 2025
Friday, 5:00 - 7:00

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JEROME'S HOME — Cleveland Exhibition

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​JEROME’S HOME: A Show of Motherly Love is a new exhibition on display at the Greater Cleveland LGBT Community Center.

​Most of this artwork comes from the private collection of Bernardine Caja and the late John Caja (Jerome’s parents). It has never been displayed in its entirety until now.

​The show is up until the end of March 2025, and it’s located at the top of the stairs on the second floor atrium. It is free and open to the public with parking in the back.
Click Here For More Details
Location & Phone:
Cleveland LGBT Community Center
​6705 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44102
​(216) 651-5428

Dates & Hours:
​Dec 1st - Mar 28th
Mon - Fri, 10:00 - 8:00
​(Closed Sat & Sun)
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AN UPDATE ON ALL THINGS JEROME

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I am currently in the production phase with the documentary and everything is coming together beautifully. I found the ending of my film and started building a rough, assembly cut with a five-act story structure. I am also starting to storyboard several animation sequences. The following blog post (see link below) highlights my work on the film, exhibitions, publications, presentations and fundraising opportunities. This is what I have been up to over the last several years, and it is a joy to be able to share it with you —THANK YOU!
Click Here for an Update on All Things Jerome

JEROME CAJA in Los Angeles

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​"Pictures Girls Make": Portraitures Curated by Alison Gingeras
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"X Studies the work of Pythagoras"
by Somaya Critchlow
circa 2022
​Click Here For More Details
​Location & Phone:
Blum & Poe Gallery (LA)
2727 S La Cienega Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90034
​​(310) 836-2062

​
Dates & Hours:
Sept 9th - Oct 2nd
Tue - Sat (10:00 to 6:00)
(Closed Sun & Mon)

Curatorial Concept:
“Pictures Girls Make” is a rallying cry for this exhibition, which examines how different forms of portraitures defy old aesthetic, social, and ideological norms.

JEROME CAJA in Manhattan

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​LOCATION:
EFA Project Space
323 W 39th St, 2nd Floor
New York, NY , 10018

GALLERY HOURS:
Wed–Sat, 12–6PM

PROGRAMING:
Opening Reception
Thursday May 11th at 6:00 PM

Catalog Launch & Reading
​with Pamela Sneed

Thursday May 25th at 6:00 PM

Artist & Curator Walk Through
Saturday June 17th at 2:00 PM
Click Here For More Details
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“Have a Bearry Nice Day”
by Jerome Caja
circa 1995

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New Exhibition at ANGLIM/TRIMBLE

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The show is up until June 26th and is by appointment only at Anglim/Trimble gallery, located in the Minnesota Street Project building, 1275 Minnesota Street.

​You can use the link below to schedule a half-hour time slot between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday.

​If you would like a personal walkthrough of the exhibit, just contact me through The Jerome Project website. I would be happy to accompany you.
​
Book  Your Half Hour Appoitment Here
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"Virgin Bozo"
​by Jerome Caja
​circa 1995
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"Connie Krishna"
by Jerome Caja
circa 1995

New Jerome Caja Book by Visual AIDS

Nayland Blake and Justin Vivian Bond introduce us to the art and life of the extraordinary Jerome Caja (1958–1995), an artist and provocateur who transgressed the supposed boundaries of gender, performance, and art in the nightclub scene in San Francisco during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Caja’s outsize personality was matched by his powerful visual art, made with nontraditional materials like nail polish and human ashes, which details with humor, pathos, and deep insight the struggles of living with AIDS, finding love, and surviving.

With additional contributions by Anthony Cianciolo, Craig Corpora, Anna van der Meulen, Amy Scholder, and Chris E. Vargas.
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Purchase Your Book Now for only $10.00

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IT IS HERE! 16 terabytes of Jerome

The Beginnings of my Documentary Film
Big thanks to the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC) for awarding The Jerome Project the Preservation Access Program grant! Thank you Scott England, Matt Flynn, Stevyn Polk, David Faulk, Michael Johnstone, Chuck Mobly, Adam Klein, and The Jerome Caja Estate for entrusting me with your video. BAVC you rock! You kickstarted my production by digitizing 100+ hours of video (16 terabytes of data). I also want to give a very special shout out to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for funding this grant.
Lastly, if anybody out there has any video on Jerome Caja, please contact us and let's talk about digitizing it.
View All Blog Posts
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Top Banner: On the left is Anna van der Meulen's photo of Jerome from the "Hey Honey" series c. February 1983. On the right is Caravaggio's "Saint Jerome in His Study" c. 1606.

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 © 2010-2025 The Jerome Project

Thank you to our Supporters!

  • The Estate of Jerome Caja
  • The Caja Family in Cleveland
  • Smithsonian Archives of American Art
  • National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)
  • San Francisco Film Society (SFFS)
  • Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC)
  • San Francisco Film Commission
  • San Francisco Art Institute
  • Keneth Rainin Foundation
  • Gallery Paule Anglim
  • SFFS Filmmaker360
  • SFFS FilmHouse
  • Verasphere
  • Visual AID