{{Short description|American artist, writer, photographer, and musician}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Jeremy Ayers | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = 1948 | birth_place = | death_date = October 24, {{death year and age|2016|1948}} | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = {{hlist|Artist|writer|photographer|musician}} | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Jeremy Ayers''' (1948 – October 24, 2016) was an American artist, writer, photographer, and musician.<ref name="obit">{{cite web |title=Charles Ayers Obituary (1948 - 2016) - Athens, GA - Athens Banner-Herald |website=Legacy.com |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/onlineathens/name/charles-ayers-obituary?id=22419850 |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113005329/https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/onlineathens/name/charles-ayers-obituary?id=22419850 |url-status=live }}</ref>
A member of the Athens, Georgia, creative community, Ayers was a Warhol superstar under the name '''Sylva Thinn''' early in his career and wrote a column for Andy Warhol's ''Interview'' magazine. He published three books of photography, and co-wrote songs for the B-52's and R.E.M.<ref name="flagpole">{{cite web |title=Friends Remember Athens Artist Jeremy Ayers |date=November 2, 2016 |url=https://flagpole.com/arts-culture/arts-culture-features/2016/11/02/friends-remember-athens-artist-jeremy-ayers/ |publisher=Flagpole Magazine |access-date=January 12, 2022}}</ref><ref name="interview-Stipe">{{cite web |last1=Brown |first1=Emma |title=Michael Stipe's MoogFest Tribute to Jeremy Ayers |date=May 15, 2017 |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/culture/jeremy-dance-michael-stipe-moogfest-2017 |publisher=Interview |access-date=January 12, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Lamb">{{cite web |last1=Lamb |first1=Gordon |title=R.I.P. Artist and Athens Scene Fixture Jeremy Ayers |url=https://flagpole.com/blogs/culture-briefs/posts/r-i-p-athens-artist-jeremy-ayers |publisher=Flagpole |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027180145/https://flagpole.com/blogs/culture-briefs/posts/r-i-p-athens-artist-jeremy-ayers |archive-date=October 27, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2021, a newly discovered species of ant (''Strumigenys ayersthey'') was named in his honor.<ref name="Yale">{{cite web |last1=Hathaway |first1=Bill |title=How a Yale scientist and a rock star named an ant for a Warhol 'Superstar' |date=May 5, 2021 |url=https://news.yale.edu/2021/05/05/how-yale-scientist-and-rem-star-named-ant-warhol-superstar |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506170920/https://news.yale.edu/2021/05/05/how-yale-scientist-and-rem-star-named-ant-warhol-superstar |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Life and death ==
Born Charles Jerry Ayers, he grew up in Athens, Georgia. His father Robert H. Ayers was a civil rights advocate and taught theology at the University of Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Wayne |title=Memorial service for highly-regarded UGA religion professor set for Sunday |url=https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/state/2018/01/30/memorial-service-highly-regarded-uga-religion-professor-set-sunday/15316766007/ |date=2018-01-30 |access-date=2022-10-21 |website=Online Athens |archive-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625072413/https://www.onlineathens.com/story/news/state/2018/01/30/memorial-service-highly-regarded-uga-religion-professor-set-sunday/15316766007/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Yale" /><ref name="flagpole" />
By the early 1970s, Ayers became involved with Andy Warhol's Factory as the androgynous "Sylva Thinn" (also written as "Silva Thin") and he wrote a column for ''Interview'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Creney |first1=Scott |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnC9EAAAQBAJ&dq=interview+magazine+sylva+thin&pg=PA16 |title=The Story of the B-52s: Neon Side of Town |last2=Herron |first2=Brigette Adair |date=2023-05-05 |publisher=Springer Nature |isbn=978-3-031-22570-3 |pages=16}}</ref><ref name="Lamb" /> He also appeared in David Bailey's 1973 documentary on Warhol.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1973-01-16 |title=Television and Radio |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/south-wales-argus-warhol-documentary-by/153834333/ |access-date=2024-08-23 |work=South Wales Argus |pages=2}}</ref>
In the late 1970s, Ayers returned to Athens. In the early 1980s, along with four friends, he founded the avant-garde band Limbo District, and was percussionist for the group.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gotrich |first=Lars |date=2023-03-31 |title=Limbo District, 'Encased' |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/now-playing/2023/03/31/1167016229/limbo-district-encased |access-date=2025-03-07 |work=NPR}}</ref> Ayers was also credited as co-writer of the song "52 Girls" by the B-52's, released as the B-side of their 1978 debut single and on their 1979 debut album.<ref name="interview-Stipe" /> He also worked with fellow Athens musicians R.E.M., co-writing the song "Old Man Kensey" from the 1985 album ''Fables of the Reconstruction''.<ref name="Lamb" />
Ayers published three books of photography (''Aeronautica'', 2011; ''Today in New York'', 2011; and ''Occupy!'', 2012), which featured scenes from Athens, New York City street life, and Occupy Wall Street.<ref name="flagpole" /><ref name="Lamb" />
Ayers died of a seizure at the age of 68 on October 24, 2016.<ref name="Yale" />
== Legacy ==
Following his death, the Athens Institute for Contemporary Art presented a month-long exhibition featuring Ayers's work titled "Out There: Photographs in the spirit of Jeremy Ayers."<ref name="redandblack">{{cite web |last1=Conlan |first1=Jaime |title=Jeremy Ayers' offbeat photography celebrated in month-long exhibit |date=March 21, 2017 |url=https://www.redandblack.com/culture/jeremy-ayers-offbeat-photography-celebrated-in-month-long-exhibit/article_90f9df28-0db8-11e7-8d3c-cbb495b9b847.html |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113005329/https://www.redandblack.com/culture/jeremy-ayers-offbeat-photography-celebrated-in-month-long-exhibit/article_90f9df28-0db8-11e7-8d3c-cbb495b9b847.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In addition to photographs taken by Ayers, the exhibit included photography done by other artists taken "in the same spirit" of his work.<ref name="redandblack" />
In 2017 Ayers's friend Michael Stipe presented an art installation in his honor at Moogfest in Durham, North Carolina.<ref name="interview-Stipe" /> The installation, titled "Jeremy Dance," featured footage of Ayers dancing to a 120 beats per minute disco song; Stipe then paired the dancing footage with music specially composed (using a Moog synthesizer and a Roland Juno) to match Ayers's movements.<ref name="interview-Stipe" />
In 2021 German entomologist Phillip Hoenle discovered a new species of ant, which he sent to Yale University taxonomic expert Douglas Booher.<ref name="NewScientist">{{cite web |last1=Sparkes |first1=Matthew |title=Ant species given first gender-neutral scientific name |url=https://newscientist.com/article/2276684-ant-species-given-first-gender-neutral-scientific-name |access-date=January 12, 2022 |publisher=New Scientist |archive-date=January 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107163637/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2276684-ant-species-given-first-gender-neutral-scientific-name/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After receiving the blessing of Stipe, Booher decided to name the ant ''Strumigenys ayersthey'' after Ayers.<ref name="Yale" /> The "they" in ''ayersthey'' refers to the singular they "in a celebration of gender diversity."<ref name="nme">{{cite web |last1=Reilly |first1=Nick |title=R.E.M's Michael Stipe gives blessing for ant species to be named after late friend Charles Ayers |date=May 7, 2021 |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/r-e-ms-michael-stipe-gives-blessing-for-ant-species-to-be-named-after-late-friend-charles-ayers-2935666 |publisher=NME |access-date=January 12, 2022 |archive-date=January 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220113005328/https://www.nme.com/news/music/r-e-ms-michael-stipe-gives-blessing-for-ant-species-to-be-named-after-late-friend-charles-ayers-2935666 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to Booher, Ayers himself identified as a gay man; the "they" suffix was intended to honor both Ayers's LGBT activism and the non-binary community.<ref name="NewScientist" />
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20161028112702/http://jeremyayres.tumblr.com/ Jeremy Ayers Tumblr (archived)] * [https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/fales/mss_610/ Jeremy Ayers Papers], Fales Library and Special Collections at New York University Special Collections
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayers, Jeremy}} Category:1948 births Category:2016 deaths Category:American gay writers Category:American gay musicians Category:American gay artists Category:American LGBTQ photographers Category:Gay photographers