AIDs Memorial Quilt panel for experimental filmmaker Roger Jacoby, block no. 1288.
Top left: Roger's quilt panel Top right: Portrait of Roger; Alice Neel, Rose Fried’s Nephew, 1963. Oil on canvas. Second row: Stills from 'L’Amico Fried’s Glamorous Friends' (1976) dir. Roger Jacoby Third row: Quotation about Roger from Susan Schiller Bottom left: Roger with a film camera Bottom right: How to Be A Homosexual Part I (1980) dir. Roger Jacoby
This is my Great Uncle Roger. Susan Schiller (now Susan Chainey), who the quote is from, is my grandmother. They were very close and he lived with her at times, including when my mom was growing up. The two of them used to travel around the country, making money by showing Warhol’s films. Warhol had decided he didn’t like them and had destroyed most copies, but Roger had a copy because of Ondine’s staring role in many of the films (btw, for a funny story about how Ondine and Warhol met, check out Ondine’s Wikipedia page).
I never met my uncle. My grandmother says we would have liked each other a lot, and also argued a lot. He was stubborn, just like me. AIDs took him from my family long before I was born. But he was so, so loved. Knowing I have a direct gay ancestor that my family loved and cared for, that played with my mom and her brother, that made incredible art and inspired my grandmother to make art, makes me feel secure in my family lineage.
I love you, Uncle Roger. May your memory be a blessing.
