Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Milwaukee Jewish Artists' Laboratory 5776, June 5- August, Free & Open to the public














Milwaukee Jewish Artists’ Laboratory 5776
Exhibit Opening: Sunday, June 5, 3:30-5:30 pm
Program: 4:00pm
 
This year we have been working on work reflecting our theme,
Voices of Wisdom. Come meet the artists, have some food, and
see the results of our work.
 
Voices of Wisdom, Jewish Artists’ Laboratory 2016
 
Bonita Bruch, Barbara Chudnow, Cindy Cooper, Richard Edelman,
Audrienne Eder, Peter Goldberg, Barbara Kohl-Spiro, Debbie Lurie,
Berel Lutsky, Kate Mann, Laeh McHenry, Helen Padway,
Steven Pevnick, Bev Richey, Mitch Shiner, Marc Tasman,
Rochelle Whiteman, Clarice Zucker
 
Jody Hirsh, Jewish Artists’ Laboratory Project Director
Marc Tasman, Jewish Artists’ Laboratory Arts Facilitator
 
 
Echoes: Voices of Wisdom
 
The Fifth Annual Exhibit/Showcase of the Milwaukee Jewish Artists’ Laboratory
Grand Opening: Sunday, June 5, 3:30 PM (program begins at 4:00 PM)
June 5 through August 2016
Free & Open to the Public
 
What is Wisdom, exactly? How do we acquire it? How is it transmitted? What Wisdom can we learn from our ancestors? What part does Wisdom have in the Jewish tradition? What is Wisdom Literature? Who are the Wise people around us, in our community, in our families, in history? What makes us wise?
 
These are some of the questions that the Jewish Artists’ Laboratory has been struggling with for the last year. Thanks to a generous grant from the Covenant Foundation, the Lab was founded in 2010. The Artists’ Laboratory is a group of local professional artists who meet twice a month at the JCC. They study “Jewish Texts” together... “Text” in this context includes both traditional Jewish texts: Bible, Talmud, Commentary, and Liturgy. But, for the Laboratory, a “Text” could be a contemporary poem, or a piece of music, or a video, or a story, or a photograph, or so much more. Everything is filtered through the prism of Jewish History, or Community, or Religion, or Thought, or Personal Life, or the Jewish People. The artists are of all media: painting, sculpture, music, dance, theater, poetry, photography, printmaking, and more. They have turned their study and deliberation into art – art that will be on display or performed at the JCC and is open to the entire community throughout the summer.
 
For the artists themselves, we have created a community of artists: they are different, yet all committed to their art. Their approaches to the Jewish world and to being Jewish are diverse, yet every year they have created an astonishing selection of works of art – all created for our annual exhibits. This year, our topic is “Wisdom,” and the artists have created thought provoking works that allow us to enter the topic in imaginative ways. We have learned from the past. We have learned from texts and other works of art. We have learned from each other.
 
Our sages have told us, “Who is wise? One who learns from everyone.” (Pirkei Avot) Come to the exhibit, and judge for yourself.
 
For more information, contact Jody Hirsh, (414) 967-8199