He has Alzheimer's. Now, this Rhode Island actor shares his world through photos

G. Wayne Miller, The Providence Journal
·4 min read

WARWICK – Actor and photographer Keith Jochim turns enthusiastic when discussing the Oct. 6 opening of a nearly monthlong exhibition of his work at the Warwick Public Library. It will be an opportunity to bring many of his impressive images to a new audience.

It also will be a chance for Jochim to refresh his memory, which has been affected by his early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

“It’s how I can remember things,” Jochim, 80, said in an interview. “Photographs bring it back to me. These pictures will always be there for me.”

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Meaningful Encounters

Titled “Turning Toward the Lens: Meaningful Encounters,” the exhibition showcases Jochim’s broad range of subjects.

Consider, for example, the people Jochim photographed for the “American Heroes” collection: among them, a mechanic, a merchant and a farmer.

Or those in the “Men of a Certain Age” collection: a Civil War reenactor, a man with a cigar, a man labeled “I Can Fix Your TV” and others.

"Portland Frank" from the series, "Men of a Certain Age."
"Portland Frank" from the series, "Men of a Certain Age."

Or the men and women in “My Body as Art,” a collection of shots of tattooed people.

Or the youngsters in “Childhood Wonders,” a collection that captures moods ranging from joyous to joking to contemplative.

And, yes, Jochim photographs animals, too: check out “Dogs in Cars,” including images labeled “Let’s Hang Out” and “Reflecting Freedom.”

"The Tattoo Couple," from "My Body As Art."
"The Tattoo Couple," from "My Body As Art."

A long theater and screen career

As a stage actor, Jochim performed in Minneapolis, St. Louis, San Diego, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Cincinnati and other cities. Rhode Islanders will remember him for the eight years he was a player with Providence’s Trinity Repertory Company, appearing in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” John Steinbeck's “Of Mice and Men,” Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” and other productions.

His TV and movie work includes roles in “The Witches of Eastwick,” “Mystic Pizza,” and the hit show “Law & Order.”

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Photographer Keith Jochim, in his Warwick home. Jochim, who was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease, has an upcoming photo show curated with his wife, Linda Golob.
Photographer Keith Jochim, in his Warwick home. Jochim, who was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's disease, has an upcoming photo show curated with his wife, Linda Golob.

Jochim told The Journal that his acting dovetailed with his long love of still photography, saying “when you’re an actor, you have to play many different people, and I've always been very interested in other people because I'm playing other people. And so the best way to look at it is to photograph it because I can remember about them.”

In his travels, he said, “you can look at a person who has a tattoo or something else like that and you can look at it honestly, just say ‘my goodness, where did you get that?’ And immediately then we're together and they talk and I will ask questions. And sometimes the people won't answer and that's fine. I am just so happy to have an opportunity to meet them.”

'Ways that are brand new'

Jochim received his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2020. In a written statement accompanying the announcement of his exhibition, Jochim wrote: “I have early stage Alzheimer’s disease. I am still a photographer. This is the first thing you should know about the disease: it does not diminish your desire to create, to discover, to express, to achieve. It does not affect any two people in the same way; its timeline is as broad or as narrow as thought itself.

“I live in the present, a trait I have been told is not all that common. Because of that, I will enter each stage of Alzheimer’s with as much enthusiasm and humor as is possible.  I will experience time and memory in ways that are brand new.”

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Jochim credits two people with realizing “Turning Toward the Lens: Meaningful Encounters”: his wife, Linda Golob, and the person Golob calls “my lifelong best friend,” Robynne Limoges, a photographer in London. 

“She proposed the idea of the exhibition in June and we all ran together with the idea and production,” Golob said. “Her photographic expertise and coaching from photo selection, Photoshop and layout, writing of exhibition catalog copy and exhibition copy has made this exhibition and soon-to-be-opening a success.”

Photographer and actor Keith Jochim in his Warwick home with his wife, Linda Golob.
Photographer and actor Keith Jochim in his Warwick home with his wife, Linda Golob.

In summarizing his passions, Jochim wrote: “My life is storytelling; it has always been about sharing stories. And photographing has always been a process of renewal. In my case at this moment, access to words and some memory are being affected. But my skills and drive as a photographer remain undiminished.

“I hope my sharing this with you will help you to reflect slightly differently about those in your life who have been diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. We need to learn from each other. We need to go on trying to listen to stories that are seeking an audience.”

How to see Keith Jochim's photography

Jochim and Golob will host the opening of “Turning Toward the Lens” from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 6 at the Warwick Public Library’s Central Branch, 600 Sandy Lane, Warwick. The exhibition will continue through Oct. 27 during library hours. 

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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Actor Keith Jochim opens photography exhibit in RI, faces Alzheimer's