Jeremy Ayers

Jeremy Ayers (1948 – October 24, 2016) was an American artist, writer, photographer, and musician.[1] Ayers was a member of the Athens, Georgia, creative community, published three books of photography, and co-wrote songs for The B-52's and R.E.M.[2][3][4] In 2021, a newly discovered species of ant (Strumigenys ayersthey) was named in his honor.[5]

Jeremy Ayers
Born1948
DiedOctober 24, 2016 (aged 67–68)
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Artist
  • writer
  • photographer
  • musician

Life and death

Born Charles Jeremy Ayers, he grew up in Athens, Georgia where his father Robert H. Ayers taught theology at the University of Georgia.[6] He became involved (as "Sylva Thinn") with Andy Warhol's Factory in the 1970s.[4] Ayers wrote for Interview and 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.[2][4]

Ayers was credited as co-writer of "52 Girls" from the debut album of The B-52's.[3] 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.[4]

His father Robert was a civil rights advocate and professor of religion at the University of Georgia.[2][5]

On October 24, 2016, Ayers died unexpectedly of a seizure at the age of 68.[5]

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."[7] In addition to photographs taken by Ayers, the exhibit included photography done by other artists taken "in the same spirit" of his work.[7]

In 2017 Ayers's friend Michael Stipe presented an art installation in his honor at Moogfest in Durham, North Carolina.[3] 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.[3]

In 2021 German entomologist Phillip Hoenle discovered a new species of ant, which he sent to Yale University taxonomic expert Douglas Booher.[8] After receiving the blessing of Stipe, Booher decided to name the ant Strumigenys ayersthey after Ayers.[5] The "they" in ayersthey refers to the singular they "in a celebration of gender diversity."[9] 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.[8]

References
  1. "Charles Ayers Obituary (1948 - 2016) - Athens, GA - Athens Banner-Herald". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  2. "Friends Remember Athens Artist Jeremy Ayers". Flagpole Magazine. November 2, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  3. Brown, Emma (May 15, 2017). "Michael Stipe's MoogFest Tribute to Jeremy Ayers". Interview. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  4. Lamb, Gordon. "R.I.P. Artist and Athens Scene Fixture Jeremy Ayers". Flagpole. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  5. Hathaway, Bill (May 5, 2021). "How a Yale scientist and a rock star named an ant for a Warhol 'Superstar'". Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  6. Ford, Wayne (January 30, 2018). "Memorial service for highly-regarded UGA religion professor set for Sunday". Online Athens. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  7. Conlan, Jaime. "Jeremy Ayers' offbeat photography celebrated in month-long exhibit". Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  8. Sparkes, Matthew. "Ant species given first gender-neutral scientific name". New Scientist. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  9. Reilly, Nick (May 7, 2021). "R.E.M's Michael Stipe gives blessing for ant species to be named after late friend Charles Ayers". NME. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
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