Safer at Home: Exploring the ONE Archives CollectionMain MenuExhibition GalleryWeekly PicksExplore by CategoryExplore by PeopleExplore by TagsContemporary ArtistsAbout the CuratorAlexis Bard Johnson9328ae6a5985e503ee2cbc8a82cadb50636ac23d
Eric Evans posing nude in garden
1media/ Eric Evans posing nude in garden_thumb.jpg2020-06-05T11:44:59-07:00Alexis Bard Johnson9328ae6a5985e503ee2cbc8a82cadb50636ac23d370891One of a series of the couple posing nude in a garden. The photograph is labeled "Eric Evans taken by Jerome Strum in Mark Goss backyard our last visit to Indy before Mark Goff passed away." Undated.plain2020-06-05T11:44:59-07:00Eric Evans posing nude in garden20140328170939-0700Jerome StrumCourtesy of ONE Archives at the University of Southern California LibrariesJSOne of a series of the couple posing nude in a garden. The photgraph is labeled âEric Evans taken by Jerome Strum in Mark Goss backyard our last visit to Indy before Mark Goff passed away.â Undated.Gay menNudesONE Archives at the University of Southern California LibrariesColl2008-061 Eric Scott Evans and Jerome Maxwell Strum papersAlexis Bard Johnson9328ae6a5985e503ee2cbc8a82cadb50636ac23d
12020-08-10T11:53:04-07:00Week 16 (August 10, 2020)1plain2020-08-10T11:53:04-07:00This post, the penultimate in the collection before USC resumes classes, features Eric Evans posing nude in a garden. Taken by his partner, Jerome Strum, this is one of a series of photographs where the couple poses nude in nature. In this particular image, Evans stands sideways and turns his head and chest toward the camera. His left hand is buried inside the jasmine bush, and his head is almost surrounded by the small white flowers and dark green leaves. A tattoo is visible on his right buttock, and he wears a watch on his right wrist and ring on his right hand. He also has two nipple rings and wears two necklaces in this photograph. Though it is hard to see his expression, it seems equal parts love for his partner taking the photograph and enjoyment of the activity.
The back of the photograph is labeled, “Eric Evans taken by Jerome Strum in Mark Goff backyard our last visit to Indy before Mark Goff passed away.” Strum and Evans first met in San Francisco in the early 1980s and moved together to New York City, Indianapolis, and Pipe Creek, Texas. Though the description of the photograph sounds like it might have been a rather sad event—visiting a friend before he passed away—it is clear that the men that day had fun doing a nude photoshoot in the garden. While this photograph might seem to have nothing to do with the idea of “safer at home,” to me, it underscores the importance of finding or creating joy wherever you are, in small moments, among lovers and close friends.