THE JEROME PROJECT -  preserving Jerome Caja's artistic legacy
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Celebration with Jerome's Mother at the SFAC Gallery

7/18/2017

 
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​MEET JEROME'S MOTHER

Save the date and come celebrate with us on Monday July 31st from 6:00-8:00 PM! Together, let’s all lift a glass in honor of our beloved Jerome and make a toast to his mother, Bernardine Caja. She is coming here from Cleveland, Ohio to see her son’s art at the Tiny Bubbles exhibition at the San Francisco Arts Commission Main Gallery (located at 401 Van Ness Avenue). I am thrilled to announce that The Jerome Project will host and film this special event in honor of her. She has not been here since 1995, so let’s all gather and welcome her back with open arms.

For this private, one-night only affair, we will feature — in addition to the 50 pieces already on display — some very rare Jerome art, ephemera, and memorabilia that you probably have never seen.

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Space is limited. Please RSVP directly to us by clicking on the red button below so we can plan accordingly. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. We will also do a brief media presentation introducing our advisors and collaborators, and give an update on the documentary film.

Lastly, in the past whenever I have done similar gallery events, several Jerome lovers and collectors show up out of the blue with an original piece of artwork in hand. I love this! I am encouraging any of you who own some of Jerome’s smaller pieces to please bring them and share them with us. We would love to see them. I know Jerome's mother would also love to see them too.

We look forward to seeing you there — CHEERS!
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-Anthony Cianciolo

www.thejeromeproject.com
www.anthonycianicolo.com

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JEROME CAJA CELEBRATION
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Reception & Exhibition Details
Monday July 31, 2017 (one night only)
SFAC Main Gallery (Veterans Building)
401 Van Ness, Ste. 126
San Francisco, CA 94102
Hours: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

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PLEASE NOTE: This private event will be filmed, and if you do not want to be filmed, just let us know when you arrive. It is our intention to document this moment and showcase it as a celebratory event in the documentary film on Jerome.

by Anthony Cianciolo

Jerome Caja in TINY BUBBLES Group Art Exhibition

4/23/2017

 
San Francisco Arts Commission Includes Jerome’s Paintings

Come and check out the new San Francisco Arts Commission exhibition, TINY BUBBLES. This is the newest show to include Jerome Caja’s work, which opens on May 3rd and runs through August 19th at the San Francisco Art Commission Main Gallery (Veterans War Memorial Building, 401 Van Ness Avenue, across the street from City Hall). The group show features nine artists whose work is autobiographical, dark, imaginative, and humorous, and includes approximately 45 of Jerome’s pieces. Many of these Jerome paintings have not been exhibited publicly in decades, if at all. See the details below.
​Thank You Steven Wolf, Meg Shiffler & Maysoun Wazwaz
​
Last month I was thrilled to get a call from Steven Wolf (independent curator & gallerist) asking if I could help locate some of Jerome’s art. Steven has long been a champion and lover of Jerome’s work. He was looking for a wide range of Jerome’s art — tip trays, crinkle paintings, container paintings, reliquaries, etc. — from San Francisco collectors. It was important for Steven to have Jerome in this show.

In addition, I want to give a very special shout out and thank you to both Meg Shiffler (Director of SFAC Galleries) and Maysoun Wazwaz (Manager of Education and Public Programs at SFAC Galleries) for making all the thankless, logistical work that goes into creating a show like Tiny Bubbles.
This has been a really enjoyable and lovely experience and I’m happy The Jerome Project could help with this endeavor!

​by Anthony Cianciolo
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Painting Detail - by Jerome Caja
Miss Piggy Serving Ham & Eggs
Circa 1990

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Tiny Bubbles

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TINY BUBBLES: A group exhibition curated by Steven Wolf

Tiny Bubbles is a group exhibition curated by independent curator and former gallerist Steven Wolf. The show features nine artists known for producing dark and often funny narratives set in imaginary worlds filled with characters that mirror their own searches for meaning. "Like bubbles in a glass of champagne, the effect of sharing space with these dramatically different worlds will be one of prickly effervescence," says Wolf.

With projects ranging from a multimedia installation by media and video game artist Porpentine Charity Heartscape to a new video collaboration by regional luminaries J. Otto Seibold and Boots Riley to audio by the anonymous prankster Longmont Potion Castle, Tiny Bubbles is sure to challenge and delight visitors.
EXHIBITION DETAILS
​May 3, 2017 through to August 19, 2017
SFAC Main Gallery (Veterans Building)
401 Van Ness, Ste. 126
San Francisco, CA 94102
Hours: 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM​

OPENING RECEPTION
​One night only on May 3, 2017
​SFAC Main Gallery (Veterans Building)
Hours: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
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ARTISTS: Jerome Caja, Lisa Hanawalt, Porpentine Charity Heartscape, Longmont Potion Castle, Megan Reed, Kate Rhoades, J. Otto Seibold and Boots Riley, and V. Vale.
Image Credit: Lisa Hanawalt, Birds Hungry for Worms, 2014.

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All SFAC Galleries & exhibitions are free to the public.

Jerome Caja in “The Queer Heroes Coloring Book”

12/4/2016

 
​Check out this playful new addition to the Jerome Caja Repository

Stacked Deck Press just released “The Queer Heroes Coloring Book,” and Jerome Caja is one of the many iconic figures featured (Oscar Wilde, Frida Kahlo, Grace Jones, Marlon Riggs, Keith Harring, Divine, etc.). Artist Justin Hall created a really sweet B&W line drawing inspired by Catherine Opie’s famous 1993 portrait of Jerome.

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The Queer Heroes Coloring Book ($15.00 Paperback) – July 29, 2016
by Jon Macy (Author, Editor), Tara Madison Avery (Editor)

"The Queer Heroes Coloring book features 40 true life LGBTQ heroes and icons. The coloring pages are provided by a host of today's most exciting and accomplished queer cartoonists, including Ed Luce, Jennifer Camper, and Howard Cruse. Also included are short bios of the subjects to guide further reading and inform a new generation about LGBTQ history."
Powell’s City of Books: The Queer Heroes Coloring Book
Amazon: The Queer Heroes Coloring Book

The Jerome Caja Repository

The repository is key to the historical preservation aspect of The Jerome Project. We are currently working with art historians to manage the repository and make it available for academic research. If you have anything related to Jerome Caja and are interested in finding a permanent home for your Jerome treasures, consider donating them to our repository. If this interests you, please contact us! For several years now we have been gathering, documenting, photographing, and preserving material related to Jerome (paintings, photos, videos, publications, and artifacts). The Queer Heroes Coloring book, by Jon Macy, is the most recent addition to the hundreds and hundreds of publications already in the repository.
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by Anthony Cianciolo

Jerome Caja in the Art AIDS America Chicago Exhibition

12/1/2016

 
​Today, December 1, 2016, is World AIDS Day, and it is also the opening of the Art AIDS America Chicago Exhibition. This show has now been traveling across the US (Tacoma Art Museum in Washington, Zuckerman Museum of Art in Kennesaw State University of Georgia, and the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York) with Chicago being it's last scheduled stop.

For this final exhibition, the entire collection will be on display. Within the show are three beautiful Jerome Caja pieces: Bozo Fucks Death, Little Yellow Angels, and Shroud of Curad. If you are in the Chicago area, you should treat yourself to this exquisite show. It is like no other and is more timely than ever. The co-curators, Rock Hushka and Jonathan David Katz, succeeded in doing what no other art museum would risk – taking on a large-scale, uncompromising exhibition on art and AIDS. This is not to be missed!

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Bozo Fucks Death, 1988
Nail polish on plastic tray
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Little Yellow Angels, 1984-93
Nail polish and mixed media on plastic with artist’s frame
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Shroud of Curad, 1993
Blood and eyeliner on bandage with artist’s frame

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​December 1, 2016 through April 2, 2017
Alphawood Gallery, 2401 North Halsted Street Chicago, Illinois 60614

Free Timed Admission Passes Recommended (click here to register online)


“This groundbreaking exhibition underscores the deep and unforgettable presence of HIV in American art. It introduces and explores the whole spectrum of artistic responses to AIDS, from the politically outspoken to the quietly mournful, surveying works from the early 1980s to the present.”

“Art AIDS America will culminate its national tour at the new Alphawood Gallery, established for this presentation by the Alphawood Foundation, at 2401 North Halsted Street (at Fullerton Avenue). The exhibition – opening on World AIDS Day, Thursday, December 1, and continuing through Sunday, April 2, 2017 – will be free and open to the public.”
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Website: Art AIDS America Chicago

by Anthony Cianciolo

Jerome Caja Paintings in the SFMOMA Collection

11/25/2016

 
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SFMOMA Makes Jerome Caja’s Art Available Online

The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) has published online images of Jerome Caja's works in its collection. These pieces include several types of the multi-media and nail polish paintings that Jerome is most well known for: tip trays, bottle caps, games & pieces, assemblages, pistachio shells, and crinkle paintings. His signature iconography — fried eggs, fruit bowls, smiley faces, dead birds, drag queens, clowns, and phalluses — is also well represented here.

The last time these pieces were on public display was 2012, just before the museum closed for renovation and expansion. Because of their small size, delicacy, and fragility, they were shown in a large vitrine as part of the group exhibition, “Contemporary Painting, 1960 to the Present — May 18-August 12, 2012.”
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SFMOMA’s Jerome Caja Collection
PLEASE NOTE: All these images are the sole and exclusive property of SFMOMA. The gallery on this blog post is strictly for educational and documentation purposes. If you have any further questions regarding copyright to these images, please see SFMOMA’s “Terms of Use” page on their website.

SFMOMA Jerome Caja Gallery: https://www.sfmoma.org/artist/Jerome_Caja
Terms of Use: https://www.sfmoma.org/terms-use
Main Website:  https://www.sfmoma.org

by Anthony Cianciolo

In Memory of Jerome Caja on November 3, 2016

11/3/2016

 
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It has been 21 years to the day that Jerome Caja died. God, I miss him.

"Here’s to you Jerome — You have been a source of inspiration from the time I first laid eyes on you. I’ll never forget that moment. It was at Club Uranus on a Sunday night when you hopped up on the bar to go-go dance, flailing away with your signature harsh makeup and skimpy, tattered lingerie that looked like it had been ripped off of a discarded Barbie doll. I was transfixed! This was my first glimpse of a fierce, queer, punk tornado who truly celebrated NOT fitting in!

You made us laugh at a time when HIV & AIDS devastated both our homes and our beloved community. You were a beacon of bizarre, fresh light and a ferocious vanguard during the darkest of times. You had the courage to publicly annihilate every stereotype of masculinity, and you made us look honestly at our own internalized homophobia.

You lived life to the fullest without ever letting fear dictate your actions. You did what you wanted, when you wanted, how you wanted. Thank you for your unapologetic, provocative, creative spirit. Thank you for breaking all those gender taboos and for inspiring us to do the same. And lastly, thank you for creating a masterful body of work that continues to inspire, move, and touch us to this day."

We love and miss you dearly, Jerome!

by Anthony Cianciolo

Brilliant New Essay Featuring Jerome Caja

10/13/2015

 
Thank you Glen Helfand!

I want to give a special thank you to Glen, who is one of the advisors on The Jerome Project. He has written the insightful essay, "Art AIDS SF: Tales of the City," which is published in the catalog for the "Art AIDS America" show. Glen has a deep understanding of Jerome's place in San Francisco and in contemporary American art. It is an honor to work with him. He has given us golden advice on structuring Jerome's life story in the film.
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Here is an excerpt from Glen's essay in the Art AIDS America catalog featuring Jerome Caja:

"In the context of Art AIDS America, at one end of the spectrum is Nayland Blake, whose work is cerebral, playful, and at times arcane, but notably attuned to the metaphorical and actual effects of HIV/AIDS on the city's psyche; on the other is Jerome Caja, whose fetish paintings of scary clowns and skinny drag queens rendered in nail polish are intuitive and dreamlike, evoking a scene out of an eroticized Hieronymus Bosch painting but with figures dressed in ripped fishnets and ornamented with crudely rendered Happy Faces. The works of many other artists can be located at various points between these intellectualized and expressionistic impulses."

University of Washington Press

Art AIDS America by Jonathan Katz and Rock Hushka
$45.00 Hardcover (ISBN 978-0-295-99494-9)

Published: December 2015
Subject Listing: Art History ; Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Bibliographic information: 288 pp., 200 color illus., 8.25 x 10.5 in.
Published with: Tacoma Art Museum

by Anthony Cianciolo

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Jerome Caja in "Art AIDS America" Group Exhibition

10/10/2015

 
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Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) takes the risk that most museums won't.

Rock Hushka (Co-curator of Art AIDS America), Stephanie Stebich (Executive Director of TAM), and Jonathan David Katz (Co-curator of Art AIDS America) prove that a large exhibition dedicated to HIV/AIDS in American art has a powerful appeal. Together, they worked for more than a decade to gather 100+ extraordinary pieces in this show. Hundreds showed up for the opening night reception, and the next day Jonathan gave an insightful talk to a packed house. This show takes us past the decades of trauma to illustrate how HIV/AIDS fundamentally changed American art.

Thank you Rock, Stephanie, and Jonathan for including Jerome Caja's paintings (Bozo Fucks Death, Little Yellow Angels, Shroud of Curad) in the exhibition. You are doing what most museums won't: you are displaying provocative works by Jerome that have rarely been exhibited in public. This broad visibility is what Jerome always strived for.

The picture gallery here highlights some of the artwork in the exhibition on opening weekend.

TOUR SCHEDULE:
Tacoma Art Museum, Washington
October 3, 2015 − January 10, 2016
Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw State University, Georgia
February 20, 2016 – May 22, 2016
Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York

June 23, 2016 – September 11, 2016
To Be Determined, Chicago

Winter of 2016 – 2017


Website: Art AIDS America
Media Release: Art AIDS America
LOOP Magazine Article: AIDS' Impact On American Art Is Apparently Still Taboo by Christopher Treacy

by Anthony Cianciolo

Jerome Caja's Art Travels Across the US in 2015 & 2016

10/2/2015

 
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Powerful new group exhibition: "Art AIDS America"

​Last year I was contacted by Jonathan David Katz and Rock Hushka, the curators of the "Art AIDS America" exhibition. They were having a terrible time trying to locate a specific Jerome Caja painting (Bozo Fucks Death). They spent almost two years searching with no luck. Well, with a little help from Paule Anglim and myself, we were able to locate this painting and help get it into the "Art AIDS America" exhibition. This is the largest exhibition of its kind. After a preview in West Hollywood, it opens at the Tacoma Art Museum on October 3, 2015, before traveling to Georgia, the Bronx, and Chicago (see details below).

I am also pleased to announce that Jonathan Katz is one of The Jerome Project's key art advisors. Jonathan is a veteran queer academic who rounds out our board. He is the Director of the Visual Studies Doctoral Program at the University at Buffalo (The State University of New York), and is the president of the board of directors of the Leslie + Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City. He has done great work nationwide keeping Jerome's spirit alive. Jonathan curated several group shows over the years, many of which have included Jerome's work. Thank you Jonathan!

"Art AIDS America"

"This groundbreaking exhibition underscores the deep and unforgettable presence of HIV in American art. It introduces and explores the whole spectrum of artistic responses to AIDS, from the politically outspoken to the quietly mournful, surveying works from the early 1980s to the present."

"Art AIDS America" is organized by The Tacoma Art Museum in partnership with The Bronx Museum of the Arts, and co-curated by Jonathan David Katz, Director, Visual Studies Doctoral Program at the University at Buffalo (The State University of New York), and Rock Hushka, Chief Curator at Tacoma Art Museum. Generous support provided by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art, and Gilead Sciences, Inc. The presentation of the preview exhibition Art AIDS America was made possible by the City of West Hollywood and The David Geffen Foundation."


TOUR SCHEDULE:

Tacoma Art Museum, Washington
October 3, 2015 − January 10, 2016
Zuckerman Museum of Art, Kennesaw, Georgia
February 20, 2016 – May 22, 2016
Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York
June 23, 2016 – September 11, 2016
To Be Determined, Chicago
Winter of 2016 – 2017


RELATED LINKS:

Website: Art AIDS America
Media Release: Art AIDS America
LOOP Magazine: AIDS' Impact On American Art Is Apparently Still Taboo -- by Christopher Treacy

by Anthony Cianciolo

Jerome Caja, Bozo Fucks Death (detail)
(nail polish and white out on tip tray)
Excerpted from: Jerome After the Pageant
7 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 1/2 in., 1988

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Jerome Caja, Little Yellow Angels
(nail polish and enamel on tray)
Excerpted from: Jerome After the Pageant
11 x 5 in. (oval tray), Unknown date


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Jerome Caja, Shroud of Curad
(nail polish, white out, & blood on bandage)
courtesy of Jeff Parker
7 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 1/2 in., 1988


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The Jerome Project Advisory Board

9/21/2015

 
Distinguished panel of advisors helps guide The Jerome Project.

I am so proud to announce our advisory board and their unique relationship to Jerome Caja. Large art history projects like ours rely heavily on veteran filmmakers, art historians, and curators in the contemporary art world to help guide and shape them for success.

I could not be doing this without their help, and the support of the Jerome Caja Estate. I also want to give a special shout-out and thank you to Paul Karlstrom who was instrumental in putting this board together.

Thank you everyone!
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"Photograph" - by Anna van der Meulen
Single image from the “Hey Honey book”
February 1983, 18in x 12in

Principal Advisors

Allison Abbate - Film Producer, Director, Writer
BAFTA-Award winning producer of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Iron Giant, and The Lego Movie, Allison brings a wealth of filmmaking experience to our table. As someone who did not know Jerome personally, her participation allows us to ensure the least biased view of Jerome, and thereby reach the widest possible audience.

Ed Gilbert - Director of Anglim Gilbert Gallery
Anglim Gilbert Gallery (formerly known as Gallery Paule Anglim) in San Francisco has been a critical supporter of Jerome’s work, representing him since the early 1990s. Ed served on the board of the Headlands Center for the Arts, and as Board President of Southern Exposure Gallery, in addition to regularly advising emerging artists.

Paul Karlstrom - Independent Art Writer, Oral Historian, Biographer
As West Coast Regional Director at the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art from 1973 – 2003, Paul interviewed Jerome in 1995 as part of the West Coast oral history compilation. He was solely responsible for the Smithsonian being the first major institution to make a lasting commitment to Jerome.

Jonathan Katz - Curator, Writer, Associate Professor, Art Historian
Director of the visual studies doctoral program, State University of New York-Buffalo. Jonathan founded and directed the Larry Kramer Initiative for Lesbian and Gay studies at Yale University. He is president of the Leslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York. In addition, he has curated two large group shows that include Jerome's work: Hide/Seek at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C, and Art AIDS America, a new exhibition that will travel across the country in 2015 through 2017.

Advisors

Julie Blankenship - Nonprofit Leader & Director, Curator, Educator, Artist
Executive Director of Visual Aid and its gallery, a social justice organization that supports artists with life-threatening illnesses. Like Jerome, Julie went to the San Francisco Art Institute. She also founded the Jerome Caja Terrible Beauty Award, which was given to outstanding Visual Aid artists.

Daniell Cornell - Curator, Art Critic

Daniell is the Donna and Cargill MacMillan Jr., Director of Art at the Palm Springs Art Museum. He was introduced to Jerome’s work through Visual Aid and while helping to open the San Francisco Queer Cultural Center gallery in 2004/5.

Craig Corpora - Art Historian, Department Assistant at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Wrote his thesis on Jerome at San Francisco State University and has published articles about Jerome for GLBTQ.com and the Smithsonian Archives of American Art website. He works in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at SFMOMA.

William Farley - Film Director, Lecturer, Associate Professor

Award-winning veteran filmmaker and director of Plastic Man: The Artful Life of Jerry Ross Barrish; Shadow and Light: The Life and Art of Elaine Badgley Arnoux; and many others. He has been making films since the 1970s.

Glen Helfand - Writer, Critic, Curator,Teacher

Glen has curated exhibitions for the M.H. de Young Museum in San Francisco, the San Jose Museum of  Art, and many alternative and commercial gallery spaces. He taught contemporary art at California College of the Arts, San Francisco State University, Mills College, and the San Francisco Art Institute. Glen has also written the essay, "Art AIDS SF: Tales of the City," which features Jerome and is published in the catalog for the "Art AIDS America" show.

Jim Hubbard - Activist, Documentary Filmmaker

Director of the documentary film United in Anger: A History of ACT UP, A MacDowell Diary, Memento Mori, and many other films since 1974. He also co-created the ACT UP Oral History Project, which is a benchmark for the Jerome Project.

Adam Klein - Writer, Lecturer, Singer-songwriter for the band The Size Queens

Award-winning author and educator. Adam was a close friend of Jerome’s. He co-wrote the monograph “Jerome: After the Pageant,” and wrote the essay on Jerome, “The New Eyes,” which was published in Life Sentences: Writers, Artists, and AIDS. Adam also co-curated  the largest exhibition on Jerome, Odyssey and Underworld.

Peter Selz - Professor Emeritus at UC Berkeley, Art Historian

Curator of Modern Painting and Sculpture at MOMA, New York (1958 – 1965) and founding director of the University Art Museum, UC Berkeley. He is also the author of Art of Engagement: Visual Politics in California and Beyond, which discusses Jerome's art. Peter is a pioneering historian of modern art who had close relationships with such major art figures as Mark Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Christo, and many others.

David Weissman - Film Director, Producer, Lecturer, Activist
Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker, teacher, film programmer, public speaker, and longtime activist. He is best known as producer of the acclaimed documentaries, We Were Here (2011) and The Cockettes (2002). He was also a close friend of Jerome's and  filmed Jerome for his short titled Complaints.

by Anthony Cianciolo

Original Jerome Caja Painting Added to Auction

9/20/2015

 
Anglim Gilbert Gallery donates "Little Black Portrait" from Jerome's estate.

Now is your chance! If you ever wanted to own an original painting by Jerome Caja and support one of San Francisco's great independent arts organizations, then join in the online bidding (Paddle8: "Little Black Portrait" by Jerome Caja). This is a recent addition to the San Francisco Cinematheque's art auction and can be found on the Paddle8 website, which is currently accepting bids. The final sale will close during a silent auction this Saturday night, September 26th, at the Center for New Music in San Francisco.

Description, History, and Provenance


"Little Black Portrait" is a small black and white portrait of a man painted on a torn scrap of paper. The man appears in profile with his index finger pointing up. The piece was mounted  by Jerome himself under glass in a simple wood frame. It was part of Jerome's personal art collection that he kept in his home. After his death in November 1995, the Jerome Caja Estate consigned it to Gallery Paule Anglim, which is now called the Anglim Gilbert Gallery. The starting bid is set at $1,000, with an estimated value at $2,500. The beauty of this piece is in its tenderness. Jerome painted hundreds of tiny intimate portraits on paper or bottle-caps, some which were family and friends, and many were simply interesting faces. Rarely did he frame them like this one. The subject of this piece is unknown.

Lastly, Shannon Trimble, Manager of Anglim Gilbert Gallery, personally selected this piece for the auction. As he so eloquently puts it, "The man in this piece -- another of Jerome's many saints -- appears to be pointing towards heaven."


Paddle8 Online Bidding Now:
Jerome Caja painting "Little Black Portrait"

SILENT AUCTION SHOW & RECEPTION
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Starts at 7:00 pm

CENTER FOR NEW MUSIC
55 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

TICKET INFORMATION
$20 general admission
$15 for Cinematheque members
Advance tickets available here.
Join our Facebook event.

by Anthony Cianciolo
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"Little Black Portrait" - by Jerome Caja
Gouache & white-out on paper
Frame: 11.75 x 9.25 x 0.75 in
Artwork: 2.5 x 2.25

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"Little Black Portrait" (detail) - by Jerome
Gouache & white-out on paper
Artwork: 2.5 x 2.25

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Thank you, Shannon Trimble!



Framing Jerome Caja for Auction

9/18/2015

 
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Thank you Sabrina & Megan at City Picture Frame in San Francisco!

We just put together the very first production run of Anna van der Meulen's 35mm color slide prints of Jerome in Cleveland. It is titled Triptych from the "3304 St. Clair Series." Anna and I collaborated together in designing the layout. We had the images printed up on aluminum and float-mounted them in a white shadowbox with UV-protection glass. It is stunning! This piece will be the first in a series of fifty, and it will be in the San Francisco Cinematheque Art Auction (Online Bidding: Jerome Caja Triptych) presented by Paddle8. Fifty percent of the proceeds from the sale of this piece will support The Jerome Project, and the purchaser of this piece will get a special thank-you credit in the documentary film on Jerome Caja. When the online auction ends at 3:00 pm on September 25th, it transfers to a silent auction held at the Center For New Music on September 26th at 7:00 pm.

I also want to give a big shout out to City Picture Frame. They were wonderful to work with, especially because I was under a tight two-week deadline to deliver this piece in time for the auction. Sabrina's design suggestions were spot on, and her co-worker, Megan also helped with all the last minute wrap-ups. This is the first time I have ever produced a professional production run of Jerome photographs and City Picture Frame is now going to be my go-to framing house.

Thank you City Picture Frame!

Website: City Picture Frame
Website: Paddle8 Auction for the SF Cinematheque
Auction Artwork: Triptych from the "3304 St. Clair Series"
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by Anthony Cianciolo

The Jerome Project Receives Another FilmHouse Residency

9/14/2015

 
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The San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) Continues to Support Jerome Caja!

Check out the recently published online Indiewire Exclusive (SF Film Society Awards Residencies to New Filmmakers) announcing the new FilmHouse awards. The Jerome Project is one of the recipients! Two years ago we were awarded the one-year FilmHouse residency, after that we were awarded a one-year anchor tenant position at FIlmHouse, and now we have been given a one-year Flex-Use tenant position. This new residency will take place in the FilmHouse location on Broadway in North Beach in the old World Theater building.

It is so important to have community around you to share your accomplishments and struggles. One of the biggest challenges documentary filmmakers face is the years of extensive development that can leave directors feel like they are enclosed in a vacuum. A residency program puts working filmmakers under one roof to expose each other to those daily hurdles and shared experiences. The multiple residencies at SFFS have been crucial for The Jerome Project by allowing outside perspectives to enhance its development. At FilmHouse we found a safe space to hold meetings, host events, and participate in many in-house workshops, peer-to-peer presentations, and continuing education classes.

Again, thank you SFFS. Your support is golden!

Indiewire Exclusive Article by Ruben Guevara:
SF Film Society Awards Residencies to New Filmmakers

SFFS Official Website:
San Francisco FIlm Society

SFFS Residency Programs:

Filmmaker360 Film House

SFFS Filmmaker360 Donation Page:

The Jerome Project


by Anthony Cianciolo

Jerome Caja Performing at Club Chaos & Club Uranus

9/14/2015

 
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Lewis Walden & Michael Blue set the stage for Jerome Caja!

During the late 80's and early 90's, Lewis and Michael were the hottest San Francisco DJ's and club promoters (Crystal Pistol & The EndUp). They were the creators of the infamous Club Chaos and Club Uranus.

Uranus happened every Sunday night at the End-Up and would attract a crowd that religiously lined up out the door and around the corner. It was church for the freaks: punks, activists, artists, trans-genders, and queers all reveling in an evening of misfit debauchery. This was the place to dance, cruise, hang out, and celebrate life. It was also the birthplace of the "Miss Uranus Pageant" and other performance spectacles. Jerome was its reigning queen. He would perform outrageous drag numbers in his signature spastic go-go style. Club Uranus was the epicenter of San Francisco’s underground counter-culture art at that time.

Back in December of 2014, shortly after publicly launching The Jerome Project website at a fundraiser art show at Gallery Paule Anglim, Lewis posted a lovely collection of his club flyers on Facebook. His posts inspired others to do the same. Here is a sample of those flyers. If you get a chance, scroll through his Facebook feed (FB: Lewis Walden). It is a trip down memory lane of 90’s San Francisco.

Thank you Lewis and everybody else for posting these historic queer club gems!
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Lewis Walden IV (DJ Lewis)
© 2015 Lewis Walden
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B&W photo of Jerome Caja
© 2015 Lewis Walden
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Club Uranus & Chaos Flyers
Excerpted from Lewis's FB page

Facebook: Lewis Walden IV
Website: The EndUp

by Anthony Cianciolo

Rena vs Jerome in High-Heeled Wrestling

9/8/2015

 
Thank you Mark Bowes & Michael Johnstone

Here is a fabulous slice of San Francisco queer counterculture history at its finest -- American High Heeled Wrestling between Rena McDonald (Adam Klein) and Jerome Caja! This infamous drag event was an ACT-UP benefit for Prevention Point at 1015 Folsom on Wednesday, January 24th, 1990. This event was also shot on VHS. I have a digitized copy of the taped event that is unfortunately not in great condition, but it might be the only record we have of it.

As far as I know, this is the only printed documentation of the event. If anybody knows of other coverage or has pictures from this event, please contact us. We would like to document what you have and add it to the digital catalogue raisonné. This is the type of rare documentation that we want to try to include in the documentary film.

Again, thank you Mark Bowes for saving and scanning this fabulous flyer, and a very special thank you to Michael Johnstone (Verasphere) for posting and sharing these INCREDIBLE B&W photos of the event. These are extremely rare images and we are thrilled that you were able to salvage your negatives and get good digital images of them.


Special Thank You Credits

Facebook: Mark Bowes
Facebook: Michael Stone
Facebook: Jerome Caja Shrine

by Anthony Cianciolo

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Excerpted from the Jerome Caja Shrine FB Page
Posted by Mark Bowes
Excerpted from the Jerome Caja Shrine FB Page
Posted by Michael Johnstone
© 2015 Michael Johnstone

Jerome Caja in Poultry Drag

9/8/2015

 
Thank you Les Hanson and Jim James!

These are two great photos of Jerome prancing around in poultry drag at the 1990 Folsom Street Fair. Jerome created these handmade papier-mâché orange duck feet pumps and feathered lingerie illustrating his unique drag couture. The B&W photo by Jim James was published in Adam Klein & Thomas Avena's monograph, Jerome: After the Pageant.

I will add these marvelous gems to the digital catalogue raisonné.
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"Duck Feet" - by Les Hanson
Folsom Street Fair, 1990
© 2015 Les Hanson
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"Duck Feet" - by Jim James
Folsom Street Fair, 1990
© 2015 Jim James
by Anthony Cianciolo

Charles Devouring Himself by Jerome Caja

9/3/2015

 
An Homage to Francisco Goya & Charles Sexton

In order to fully appreciate this painting, context is needed about Jerome Caja and Charles Sexton. In the late 80's both men studied art together at the San Francisco Art Institute and became friends. Living with HIV prompted both artists to enter into a pact. Their commitment was that whoever was the "Loser in Life" had to bequeath his ashes to the survivor to be used for art. Charles was the first to go. Jerome then spent two years mixing nail polish with Charles' ashes and created a large body of artwork. Jerome gave many of these pieces to Charles' family and friends as personal reliquaries.

Jerome is often miscategorized as an outsider artist. In reality, he is a classically trained insider artist who went to several art schools. An avid museum patron, Jerome revered the masters and referenced their art in his own. "Charles Devouring Himself" is a good example of Jerome's reworking of a classic painting by Goya. The painting was exhibited in the "Remains of the Day" show at Southern Exposure Gallery in San Francisco and the "Hide/Seek" show at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC.
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"Charles Devouring Himself" - by Jerome Caja
(ash, resin, and nail polish on aluminum tray)
Excerpted from: Jerome After the Pageant
8 1/2 in. diameter x 1 in. deep, 1991
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"Saturn Devouring His Son" - by Francisco Goya
(oil mural transferred to canvas)
143cm x 81cm. 1819–1823
Museo del Prado, Madrid
Smithsonian Archives of American Art: Charles Fred Sexton papers, 1956-1992

by Anthony Cianciolo

StarLab Chinese Movie Studio Seeks Out Jerome Caja

9/2/2015

 
Thank you Summer Jiang at StarLab China
   
In early September, StarLab Movie Studio from Guangzhou, China, interviewed me for two hours about Jerome Caja, his art, and the documentary film I am making about him. Summer Jiang conducted the interview at my home office where she could see the scope of the Jerome archives. We talked about what was involved in setting up The Jerome Project and my progress in producing the film. I am thrilled that a Chinese audience will now get a chance to know about Jerome.

Summer Jiang is a writer and photographer. She graduated from the Missouri School of Journalism, moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for NGOs and magazines such as the Washington Monthly. She is now an art student living in the Bay Area.

Thanks again Summer. It was an honor to participate, and I know that Jerome would have been tickled pink knowing that he is going to be featured in Chinese media. I will keep everyone posted when the interview is published on WeChat in November 2015.

LinkedIn Profile: Summer Jiang

by Anthony Cianciolo
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Jerome Caja, Miss Kitty & Arturo Galster

8/26/2015

 
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Barbara Liu McDowell -- "3 Queens who inspire me to make the most out of this life!"

Thank you Barbara for all the lovely gifts you have given to The Jerome Project. This fabulous picture is being documented and preserved in the Jerome Caja Digital catalogue raisonné. These three great queens are San Francisco drag legends. They made us laugh during dark times in the late 80's early 90's. I also want to thank you for donating Jerome's childhood orange baseball jersey that was in Arturo's possession before he passed. It is people like you, Barbara, that remind me why I am making a documentary on Jerome. You love irreverent drag culture as an art form and you have dedicated your life to art!

Check out Barbara's Facebook page -- it is inspiring and loaded with great pictures!

Facebook: Barbara Liu McDowell
LinkedIn: Barbara Liu McDowell


by Anthony Cianciolo

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Jerome Caja Triptych by Anna van der Meulen

8/25/2015

 
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Triptych from the "3304 St. Clair Series" - by Anna van der Meulen
laser ink-jet prints on aluminum with a high gloss finish
Spring 1988, 6in x 4in (each)

Thank You Christopher!

8/24/2015

 
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My Dear Friend of 25 Years Supports Jerome and the Arts

Two weeks ago, out of the blue, I received a generous financial donation to The Jerome Project from one of my oldest San Francisco friends, Christopher. We met in San Francisco during the summer of 1990. Christopher has been a constant supporter of my various art endeavors. He housed me in Washington DC when I went to the Smithsonian Institution Archives of American Art to research Jerome's papers, he calls regularly to see if I am still above-water managing this huge project, he sent me his lovely picture of Jerome to add to the repository, and most recently, he came through with production funds I needed for the next stage of the project.

His timing was perfect!

Thanks to Christopher, I was able to buy several state-of-the-art hard-drives to get all of my digital video files off of the BAVC servers and on to my creative desk. Again, thank you!
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by Anthony Cianciolo
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BAVC's Preservation Blog on Jerome Caja

8/23/2015

 
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Lauren O'Connor's Thoughts on Preserving Jerome Caja

Check out this wonderful Jerome post by Lauren on Tumblr (Bay Area Video Coalition Preservation Department -- January 27, 2015). She is a great ambassador for The Jerome Project. Lauren tirelessly put in hundreds and hundreds of hours converting analog video of Jerome frame-by-frame to museum-quality digital format. She worked on Jerome video for over six months.

Lauren loves Jerome! Every time I'd stop by BAVC, she would greet me with a huge grin and tell me a new crazy story about Jerome. Needless to say, we had a lot of laughs during this process.

Thank you, Lauren, for all your hard work. The digital files you created are the meat & potatoes of my film!
Lauren's January 27, 2015 Blog Post
Do you ever pause for a moment to think about how much you enjoy eating Fritos?

BAVC's Preservation Department Tumblr Blog

Bay Area Video Coalition Preservation Department

BAVC's Website

Preservation Access Program
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by Anthony Cianciolo
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Jerome Caja Triptych in SF Cinematheque Art Auction

8/22/2015

 
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The Jerome Project Collaborates with the San Francisco Cinematheque

Jerome is going to be in a new group show! This is the fifth annual art auction and benefit celebrating San Francisco Cinematheque. The Jerome Project is donating Anna van der Meulen's fabulous photo triptych of him. This piece will be on sale and the proceeds will go to the SF Cinematheque and the new documentary film being made on Jerome.

Years ago Anna donated these film negatives to us, and we are producing new, signed, limited-edition runs of her work. The purchaser will also receive a special credit in the documentary film.

Lastly, thank you Noah Cowan (Executive Director of the San Francisco FIlm Society) for spreading the word about The Jerome Project and helping us get Jerome into this show!
The Fifth Annual Art Auction & Benefit celebrating San Francisco Cinematheque

"Please JOIN US at the Center for New Music for a special reception and silent art auction—including fabulous food, libations and music from DJ Wobbly with many artists and filmmakers in person—in celebration and support of San Francisco Cinematheque and our 55th year of exhibiting cutting-edge avant-garde film and video art. Over 50 international, national and regional artists have contributed artworks to this year’s stellar exhibition of photography, painting, collage, sculpture and multimedia installation."
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Starts at 7:00 pm

CENTER FOR NEW MUSIC
55 Taylor Street
San Francisco, CA 94102

TICKET INFORMATION
$20 general admission
$15 for Cinematheque members
Advance tickets available here.
Join our Facebook event.
by Anthony Cianciolo
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Triptych from the "3304 St. Clair Series" - by Anna van der Meulen
laser ink-jet prints on aluminum with a high gloss finish
Spring 1988, 6in x 4in (each)

Ric Warren Captures Jerome Caja's Spirit

8/17/2015

 
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Photographing Beauty in San Francisco

Ric Warren has a fabulous collection of Jerome photographs that he kindly shared with all of us online at the Jerome Caja Shrine on FaceBook. The following photo series capture Jerome in broad daylight terrorizing and amusing the public. Ric and Jerome collaborated really well. The photos show Jerome in his signature clear plastic pants, in full regalia as a 50's housewife going about her day, and as a merry widow on her way to church.

Thank you Ric for sharing these priceless Jerome treasures. They are rare daytime images of him in drag.
Jerome Caja Slide Show by Ric Warren 



© 2015 Ric Warren
by Anthony Cianciolo

16 Terabytes of Jerome Caja Video

8/7/2015

 
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The Beginnings of my Documentary Film on Jerome

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.

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by Anthony Cianciolo
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