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Living Waters for Tisha B’Av
16 Jul2013
Eliyahu Alpern, Mayim Hayim, http://golem.ws/mayimhayim.html
Tonight and tomorrow are the 9th of Av, the day of fasting and mourning over the destruction of the 1st and 2nd Temples and other tragedies in our collective history. Most people don’t know that according to sources in the Talmud and Tanach, this day of solemn sadness will turn to gladness and celebration and it will be forbidden to fast and be sad. This happened in the past when the Jews built the 2nd Temple after returning to Zion from the Babylonian exile and it will happen in our time when there is “Shalom” in our land. Some sources define shalom as Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, but the definition is open to interpretation. There can be no doubt, however, that we are on the road to Shalom and arriving there all the time.
Today’s image is called “Mayim Hayim” (living waters). It is based on a prophecy of Jeremiah in which he tells that in the future, waters of life will flow out of Jerusalem and bring life back to the dry rivers and lands. Water can be taken literally or as a metaphor for Torah, Life, and Positive Vibrations. Jeremiah is the same prophet who composed the book of “Eicha” (Lamentations), which we read tonight on TIsh’a b’Av.
- In: Featured Artists|Inspiration
- Tags: Israel, Photography
There are two ways people typically explore Hasidic subjects through art. It is either a sensitive portrayal of a tradition they are a part of, or an outsider’s perspective on a strange and unique culture. Brooklyn based artist Michael Levin has done both, and quite successfully at that.
In his new series “Jews of Today” opening July 20th at the 7 Dunham in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Levin explores the nuances and contradictions of Hasidic ritual dress through a series of elegant drawings and explanations, delving into larger issues of Jewishness and cultural identity in the process.
- In: Events|Exhibition Reviews|News
- Tags: Brooklyn, Illustration
Call for Art: “Living in Joy” Group Show
7 Jul2013
Deadline: July 17, 2013
The Creative Soul in association with the Jewish Learning Institute will be hosting an art exhibition titled “Living in Joy†at the National Jewish Retreat, August 8-11, 2013 at the Hilton hotel Alexandria VA.
The exhibition will feature works from a wide range of Jewish artists from around the world reflecting the theme of Joy in Judaism.
- In: Call for Entries
Founded in 2011, Be-Share-Et (pronounced Be-sheert) is a leather accessories collection which combines spirituality and high fashion. These products take their inspiration from Tefillin, the ritual leather straps and boxes traditionally worn in Judaism for morning prayers. For centuries Jews have adorned themselves with holy blessings using leather straps when praying. The ancient ritual has been upheld and is thought to be a devotional tradition performed while meditating.
Be-Share-Et leather accessories adapt this ritual for a fashionable twist. Each wrap contains a special blessing for different purpose: my beloved (Psalm of Solomon), blessing for health, blessing for financial success, blessing for love and marriage, blessing for spirituality, and the traditional Shema prayer.
Each prayer has been printed from its original calligraphy ~ which was hand written by Israeli artist and designer Rona Plotek. The leather materials used have all been imported from Italy and the current collection is made exclusively in New York City’s garment district.
Now through July 26th Be-Share-Et founder Cher Landman is running a Kickstarter campaign to fund the next stage of this functional art initiative. Learn more at the fundraising page here or visit the Be-Share-Et website here.
- In: News
- Tags: Hebrew, Ritual Objects, textile, Videos
Blue Like Me: The Art of Siona Benjamin is a documentary film about an extraordinary artist with a fascinating back-story: Siona is a Jew raised in India, educated by nuns and Zoroastrian teachers, and brought up alongside Hindu, Christian and Muslim neighbors. Her art expresses universal issues–feminism, race, a sense of home, and one’s identity—that resonate within each of us.
Here is the catch to make this film possible:
The clock is ticking on a 45-day challenge to raise $20,000 for production in India this fall and they need your help. Any amount counts even $1.00. Donating will also help to keep you updated on the progress of the project through their Kickstarter page. They are offering some excellent prizes including Siona’s art as appreciation for your donations. Donate now at this link.
- In: News
- Tags: Asia, Feminist Art, Film, Painting
The Institutional Theory of Religious Art
12 Jun2013
By Ben Schachter
I recently read On the Strange Place of Religion in Contemporary Art by James Elkins. In it he defines Art using the institutional theory of art made famous by Dickie. The Institutional Theory of art holds that the art market contributes not only to the notion of what is good or valuable art but also to what art is. Those who buy it, sell it, advocate for it, invest in it, admire it, study it and promote it comprise the body of people who influence what it is.
There are several limitations and objections to this theory. I’ll only mention a few that are related to my main idea. First, artists bristle at the idea that someone else encroaches on their sensibilities and vision. Second, the theory delimits a certain kind of art. Other forms of art such as outsider art, ethnic arts, etc. sometimes garner the attention of institutions but they are not the primary form of art circulated within the system otherwise known as high art. That’s fine, and in fact, the institutional theory purports to define art but it also defines a particular audience.
And that audience, in this case, rejects religious art. And therefore it is not surprising that Elkins writes:
As a rule: ambitious, successful contemporary fine art is thoroughly non-religious. Most religious art – I’m saying this bluntly here, because it needs to be said – is just bad art.
- In: Inspiration
- Tags: Art History, Jewish Art Education
Call for Entries: LABA House of Study 2013-2014
11 Jun2013
MOTHER
The theme of LABA 2012-2013 is MOTHER. We’ve all got opinions about mothers. She is someone we mythologize, demonize, adore and abhor. This year we will engage in a deep exploration of the mother figure, examining the enormous symbolic gravity she holds in classical Jewish texts. We will witness the mother as heroine, the mother as villain, the mother as creator of life and the mother as destroyer. We will look at all these women in the Jewish canon, and the mark they left on our collective cultural memory.
So come talk about mother with us. Unlike your therapist, we’ll pay you!
- In: Call for Entries
- Tags: Art as Midrash, Jewish Artist Groups, NYC
In September 1825, Major Mordecai Noah founded Ararat, “a city of refuge for the Jews†on Grand Island, New York. This turned out to be the first of many unrealized projects in modern history that sought to carve out a nation for the Jewish people. Mapping Ararat offers the user/participant the tools to imagine an alternative historical outcome for Noah’s Ararat and to navigate through an imaginary Jewish homeland.
Utilizing cutting-edge digital media technologies such as augmented reality, this project gives Ararat a virtual chance to become the Jewish homeland that its founder had envisioned over one hundred eighty years ago. The project consists of an on-site augmented reality walking tour that haunts the contemporary landscape of Grand Island. In addition, Mapping Ararat generates the vernacular artifacts common to all modern nation-states whether money, postcards or stamps.
The exhibition Mapping Ararat: Globally Positioned Sites brings the onsite augmented reality walking tour to the gallery in the form of a video. The exhibition also includes a sampling of Ararat tourist screenshots taken from site visits as well as examples of vernacular cultural artifacts. In addition, the Mapping Ararat Team has placed two augments on the University of Toronto campus as demos.
The exhibition premiered at the University of Toronto and is looking to travel to New York. For further information please visit: www.mappingararat.com
Mapping Ararat from Mapping Ararat on Vimeo.
- In: Exhibition Reviews
- Tags: Canada, Digital Art, Videos
Opening June 16: Living in a Divine Space
7 Jun2013
J. Reznik Studios presents Living in Divine Space Group Exhibition, June 16, 2013.
Living in Divine Space
Presented by J. Reznik Studios
Curated by Jodi Reznik and Dovid Orlansky
June 16 – June 23, 2013
Opening Reception
June 16, 2013
1 pm
Gallery hours:
Mon-Thur 11am-6 pm, Fridays 11 am-2pm
J. Reznik Studios
1305 East 17th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11230
Where is Jewish Art Now?
4 Jun2013
The End of the Six Points Fellowship (in New York), and what it means for the rest of us
Recently, it was announced that the UJA-Federation in New York will not be renewing their funding of the Six Points Fellowship, a program that has awarded about $1.26 million in grants to 30 Jewish artists to make new Jewish art.
In response to this news, there was an article published in ejewishphilanthropy, Making the Case for the Arts as a Jewish Communal Priority, where the author Joshua Ford identifies that this incident is part of a trend of declining support for the arts by the Jewish community that will only continue with the next generation of philanthropy. The case he makes is that Jewish communities and philanthropists should not see the arts as a distraction of the other causes they seek to support, but central to them. This comes from someone whose DC JCC, which as far as my sources had confirmed last winter, had discontinued their gallery. Perhaps the author wrote this piece because this is an issue that he is struggling with within his own institution.
As founder of Jewish Art Now, an advocate for 21st century Jewish art accessibility and innovation, I found this to be a particularly interesting call to action as Jewish art has become more and more popular among synagogues and JCC spaces in the past few years. All of a sudden it seems as if so many independent groups feel as if they “discovered” Jewish art. But when it gets to be a hassle or the money dries up, there go the arts.