PRIDE IS A PROTEST: Jerome Poster at 7th & Market

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Jerome Caja is Honored and Remembered for His Radical Self-Expression in San Francisco's “Art on Market Street Poster Series” —  June through August 2020

Check out Win Mixter’s new “JEROME CAJA: Pride is a Protest” poster on the Muni bus shelter at the northeast corner of 7th & Market in San Francisco's Tenderloin district. It is part of the “Art on Market Street Poster Series” from the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC), in celebration of the 50th anniversary of Gay Freedom Day.

It is a fabulous, large, double-sided, B&W poster. If you look closely, Win Mixter incorporates all of Jerome’s iconic imagery from his paintings and drag performances (nailpolish bottles, crucifixes, scary clowns, eggs, birds, worms, cocks, lingerie, smiley faces, frowning faces, and angel wings). In the center is a powerful portrait inspired by Catherine Opie’s famous 1993 cibachrome print of Jerome. I love that Win chose to have Jerome’s eyes closed. It perfectly captures Jerome’s centrality and centeredness during the explosive years of AIDS, activism, and art in San Francisco during the late 80’s and early 90’s.
 
Thank you Win Mixter and SFAC for including Jerome Caja in your 2020 Art on Market Street Series.

I also want to do a very special shout-out to Craig Corpora (Public Art Programming Associate at SFAC) for constantly keeping Jerome’s spirit alive in San Francisco — THANK YOU CRAIG!

Jerome Caja (detail) 2020
by Win Mixter​

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Jerome Caja (detail) 1993
by Catherine Opie​​

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Jerome Caja "Pride is a Protest" poster located at 7th & Market street bus shelter, 2020
by Win Mixter​ & the San Francisco Arts Commission

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2020 Art on Market Street Poster Series by SFAC

The San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) explores and calls attention to the diverse people, places and events of San Francisco’s queer culture. Win Mixter presents his 2020 project “Pride is a Protest,” a series of 36 unique black-and-white posters, covering 18 different subjects that re-center the narrative of our annual Pride celebrations away from rainbow capitalism to its original principles of resistance and rebellion.

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Win Mixter (Designer & Illustrator)

“Over the decades, Pride in San Francisco as around the world has evolved into something vastly different than the original organizers envisioned. By centering on stories of resistance and radical self-expression, the project tries to recapture some of the brave and defiant ways in which queers have liberated themselves and demanded their own freedoms over the last 50+ years.”

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Rebekah Krell (Acting Director of Cultural Affairs)

​“The Arts Commission is thrilled to showcase the richness of San Francisco’s queer history through Win Mixter’s poster series. Our city has a legacy of activism and we are a world leader in advancing LGBTQ civil rights. Every year we honor the struggles and celebrate the achievements of our diverse queer community during Pride Month. Mixter’s tribute does both beautifully.”

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LOGISTICS & DETAILS
WHO: Win Mixter & SFAC 
WHAT: Jerome Caja's "Pride is a Protest" Poster
WHEN: On display in June, July & August of 2020
WHERE: Northeast corner bus shelter at 7th & Market Street
WHY: Celebrating SF's 50th Anniversary of Gay Freedom Day (Pride)

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Post by Anthony Cianciolo