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In conjunction with the exhibition Roger Jacoby: Pittsburgh Stories on view at Wood Street Galleries from October 25, 2024–January 5, 2025, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust is pleased to announce a panel discussion with Peggy Ahwesh, Susan Chainey, and Jim Hubbard moderated by Anastasia James Director of Galleries & Public Art at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.

Wood Street Galleries at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust proudly presents Roger Jacoby: Pittsburgh Stories, featuring the world premiere of three newly restored films by experimental filmmaker Roger Jacoby (1944–1985). Jacoby’s work occupies a critical yet under-examined space at the intersection of avant-garde cinema and queer experimental filmmaking during the pre- and post-liberation eras. Though his career was tragically brief, from 1972 until his death from AIDS in 1985, Jacoby’s films reflect an intensely personal and autobiographical vision, blending elements of structural film, diaristic cinema, and meditations on queer identity. His work is deeply connected to Pittsburgh, a city whose cultural underground has long supported artists working outside the mainstream.

In this panel discussion, we explore Jacoby's unique artistic journey and contributions to experimental media, alongside renowned filmmakers Peggy Ahwesh and Jim Hubbard, and curator Susan Chainey. Jacoby’s films, produced in Pittsburgh and influenced by his experiences in New York’s avant-garde scene, were shaped by his relationships with key figures like Andy Warhol, Ondine, and Marie Menken. His hand-processed, DIY approach to filmmaking—often using his own bathtub—imbued his work with a distinct materiality and intimacy. The restored films featured in this exhibition, including Dream Sphinx Opera (1973) and How to Be a Homosexual Part I (1980), offer a rare glimpse into Jacoby’s exploration of identity, community, and the personal-political intersections that defined his remarkable yet underappreciated career.

Photo Credit: Roger Jacoby: Still from L’Amico Fried’s Glamourous Friends featuring Ondine and Sally Dixon, 1976. Courtesy Canyon Cinema Foundation and The Estate of Roger Jacoby.