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JT Waldman, author/illustrator of Megillat Esther & Not The Israel My Parents Promised Me with Harvey Pekar, presents at UMass Amherst Hillel.
An Evening with Graphic Novelist JT Waldman
Thursday April 11, 2013
7:30 PM, Herter Hall Rm. 227, 161 Presidents Drive Amherst MA
Judaism, Comix, and the Mending of the Golden Calf
Friday April 12, 2013
8:15 PM Oneg at UMass Hillel, 388 N Pleasant St. Amherst MA
For more information visit: http://UMass.hillel.org
- In: Events
- Tags: Graphic Novels
In conjunction with the art exhibit “Get lucky: Amulets and Ketubah Art by Judith Joseph.”
Thursday April 18, 2013
6-7pm Exhibition Opening Reception, Free & Open to the Public
7-8pm Panel Discussion. Panelists: Judith Joseph, Alison Kruvant and Isaac Peterson, artists. Moderator: Buzz Slutsky, artist & program assistant at the Tisch Gallery at the JCC Manhattan.
The Columbia / Barnard Kraft Center
606 West 115th Street
New York, NY 10025
Exhibit Hours: April 18 – May 20, Sunday – Thursday 9-8, Friday 9-1.
Curated and organized by the Jewish Art Salon.
Contact: Yona Verwer jewishartsalon@gmail.com 917-447-8567
http://jewishartsalon.com
- In: Events
- Tags: Jewish Artist Groups, NYC, Painting
Conney Conference on Jewish Arts
DIASPORAS
April 9–12, 2013
Mosse Weinstein Center For Jewish Studies
University of Wisconsin–Madison
View the conference schedule here.
- In: News
- Tags: Midwest US
Jewish Arts Lab, Or Why I’m A Jewish Artist
5 Apr2013
By Shana Cohen
At our recent Laboratory last Thursday, I asked the participants to write a six-word memoir on being a Jewish Artist. There was one that really stood out to me: “Artist everywhere, Jew not always present.â€
I thought that these six words encapsulated the purpose of why the Sabes JCC in Minneapolis, Minnesota decided to start this project. Art is everywhere, but what is so special or unique about Jewish art and artists? That is exactly what this monthly series will try to answer between now and August, when the Laboratory will conclude its first year.
The Jewish Artist Laboratory is a new arts initiative through the Sabes JCC featuring 17 artists exploring the theme of Text/Context/Subtext through unconventional study and art making sessions. The Laboratory meets twice monthly promoting ongoing dialogue, and providing a platform for artwork through its many stages.
I decided to become a part of the Jewish Artist Laboratory because I see it as a way to merge my sometimes conflicting identities into a cohesive spiritual whole, combining Jewish values and artistic expression. I’ve been looking for a community with which to share artistic ideas that will reflect back a Jewish lens and narrative. I am an expressionistic painter, DJ, and writer with a body of autobiographical work. The charcoal painting above is one I made in 2010; it’s of my father smoking a cigar. My father is a perfect mix of Jerry Garcia and Fidel Castro with a personality like Jerry Seinfeld. His favorite pastime is smoking cigars on the deck of his home on Christmas Lake in Excelsior.
- In: Inspiration
Exodus Steps
21 Mar2013
Exodus Steps is an interactive art installation that engages viewers with the biblical story of the Hebrews’ escape from slavery in Egypt.
Timed to coincide with the Passover season, this installation combines street art and performance elements to create visual puzzles that put the viewer in the story and literally “remember as if you have left Egypt” as the Jewish custom dictates.
Exodus Steps is on view at the Skirball campus in Los Angelos until April 28, 2013.
View images from the installation below.
- In: News
- Tags: Holidays, Interactive Art, LA, Street Art
DRUNK Art
21 Mar2013
by Haley Tamir
As Passover approaches, we are met with a variety of customs, primarily concerning our food and drink. The question, or the message sought out at LABA’s “Drunk†event was “the heaven and hells of intoxication in ancient Jewish traditionâ€.
Various speakers including Ruby Namdar and Basmat Hazan Arnoff, read aloud selected midrashic texts that seek to distinguish between the two kinds of wine: the wine that brings knowledge and “is the secret of the world to comeâ€, and the wine that “intoxicates, and brings harm to the world, and does not inspire knowledge†(Midrash Ohr Hadash). As we heard several interesting stories and interpretations of our sages’ wisdom on the topic, a variety of wines were being served. This distinction between the “two wines†is one not often made as we welcome this powerful substance into our lives, and the topic was quite relevant as we approach a holiday that not only suggests, but orders us to partake in the joyful experience that is wine.
The evening vacillated from light enjoyment of the performance art to deep contemplation and discussion of the fine line between enjoying our lives through wine and abusing it to the point of fruitless intoxication. Events such as these serve well to inspire and entertain those involved in the visual arts. There are no long term commitments in attending events such as these, and they serve well to inspire the visual artist community through various mediums.
Events such as these serve well to inspire and entertain those involved in the visual arts.
“The evening was an interesting mix of drink and performance art, and Jewish analysis of the context of wine and its effect on us†said David Deblinger, one of the featured performers. Between the discussions, the wine, and the slideshow art used to depict the themes being discussed, the event seemed to appeal to all senses, inspiring creativity within the audience and the performers providing it; “We feed off the creative energy of the group†said artist Ruby Namdar of the dual inspiration.
- In: Events
- Tags: Art as Midrash, Holidays, NYC
Seder for Artists
19 Mar2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
8:00pm
541 Myrtle Avenue, between Emerson & Steuben Clinton Hill/Bed Stuy
Brooklyn, NY
Join a creative community for an interactive and time-sensitive Seder
Led by Rabbi Simcha & Ariella Weinstein
Monday March 25: (Services at 7:30pm) Seder 8pm
Rohr Jewish Center serving the Pratt Area & the Downtown
Brooklyn Collegiate Community
Hand-made Matzah ~ The 4 Cups ~ Festival Dinner ~ Everybody Welcome
~ No Charge
Continuing coverage of the CAJM Conference in NYC
As more and more Jewish institutions are looking to innovate the way they engage, many are opening up to collaborations they would not have pursued before.
Although far-reaching partnerships and crowdsourcing are integral parts of the way an audience is cultivated in the 21st century, the resistance to collaboration by established institutions can often come from territorialism based on geographical distinctions. The mentality can sometimes be that if you are physically standing in one institution, you are therefore not standing in another. However, developments in cultural engagement have changed and more and more institutions are feeling less competitive as they design their programming to be one of many options to get an audience’s attention.
Illustration by Liana Finck
The Council of American Jewish Museums conference session “Thinking Outside the Box: Non-Traditional Collaborations, Programs, and Audiences” and the responsive discussion circles that followed led to many examples of collaborations that worked, and collaborations that despite many efforts, just did not.
We gleaned an understanding of the issues with collaboration and how to help institutions, artists, and curators, overcome these issues and work together more effectively.
What are we dealing with?
Collaborations are made when there is an exchange between content providers, venues, and community engagers. This combination can be made of organizations that cater to different audiences (ethnic, cultural, geographic) or between artists and institutions who can host their artwork and programs.
Panelist Nelly Silagy Benedek from the Jewish Museum in New York stated that partnerships only work when both sides benefit. At first glance it seems simple but finding the right match, and zeroing in on what each group needs, is the hardest part.
Problems and Solutions
- In: News
- Tags: Jewish Art Education, Jewish Artist Groups, Jewish Galleries, Marketing, Museums, NYC
CAJM 2013 Conference Coverage
13 Mar2013
The City as Muse/um
Last week in lower Manhattan, the Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM) hosted their annual conference, bringing together Jewish museum professionals from across the Americas and from around the world.
We followed the conference, picking up on reoccurring themes that effect how contemporary Jewish art is and will be explored in institutional settings. In this and subsequent articles, we are presenting some findings, as well as dialogue from both sides of some dividing issues.
Illustration by Liana Finck
CAJM caters to all kinds of Jewish art museums, including those in historic synagogues, elder residencies, educational institutions, Holocaust memorials, and large facilities that exhibit multi-media exhibitions catered to broad audiences with diverse subject matter.
The central theme of the CAJM Conference this year was The City as Muse/um, conveying that urban places can be both sites for inspiration and exhibition.
Presenting at the opening plenary were David Karnofsky from the New York City Department of City Planning, along with Charles Renfro from Diller Scofidio + Renfro, and Manon Slome from No Longer Empty, which creates site specific installations in empty storefronts around New York City.
Examples were given of using rezoning to create environments that combine gallery spaces with private and public venues to help foster a flow to the way people engage with art. These examples are were not specific to Jewish institutions, but rather helped bring a new awareness to the innovations in arts engagement that have happened in New York City through redesigning where people live, do business, and unwind. They have collectively established a hub for creative experiences within an already developed art scene.