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ART EXHIBITIONS

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ARTISTS ON ANTISEMITISM

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June 9 - Aug 30, 2024

 

Artists on Antisemitism at 81 Leonard Gallery, 81 Leonard Street, New York, NY

Thursday-Sunday 12-6pm.

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81 Leonard Gallery and Jewish Art Salon, with support from COJECO and the Natan Foundation, are proud to present Artists on Antisemitism, a survey of Jewish artists’ responses to the current global surge of antisemitism. Among artists of varying nationalities, familial histories, and levels of religiosity, a duality emerges between cautiously reflecting on traumatic narratives and driving forward with courage and optimism. The works on view form a spectrum between these two points of view, with many artists exploring the gray areas in the middle.

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Maxwell Bauman’s Emergency Golem builds upon the 16th-century story in which Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel created a golem from clay to defend the Jewish ghetto from the pogroms. Bauman’s golem built from legos and encased in glass like a fire hydrant meets the fear that misfortune might again strike with humor and optimism that the Jewish people are prepared

 

Curated by Hannah Rothbard, Nancy Pantirer, Yona Verwer, Ronit Levin Delgado, and Judith Joseph. Artists on Antisemitism will be on view at 81 Leonard Gallery Thursday-Sunday 12-6pm. An opening reception will be held on Sunday, June 9th, from 1-3pm.

 

This project is supported by the Natan Foundation and COJECO Arts Against Antisemitism Fellowship funded by the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC) and the Jewish Community Relations Council.

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Artists on Antisemitism II, will be an expanded version of the current exhibit at 81 Leonard Gallery.  The next leg of the exhibition will be Long Island, will be hosted at two venues, one in Nassau County, followed by one in Suffolk. 

 

In 2025 the exhibition will travel to the West Coast as Artists on Antisemitism III.

Read reviews of the event here

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“TZEDEK BOXES: JUSTICE SHALL YOU PURSUE”: ARTISTS IMAGINE A NEW JEWISH RITUAL OBJECT AT THE HELLER MUSEUM AT HEBREW UNION COLLEGE IN NEW YORK

On View: January 26 – May 15, 2023 (show extended through June 2023)

Maxwell Bauman is featured in the art exhibition "Tzedek Boxes: Justice Shall You Pursue," imagining a new Jewish ritual object for use in a new ritual at the Heller Museum at Hebrew Union College in New York.

The Tzedek Box, a container for gathering reflections about our efforts to improve the world, is the inspiration for 30 highly original works by contemporary artists on display.

Tzedek means justice; and working toward justice is a response to Judaism’s call: "Justice, justice shall you pursue." (Deuteronomy 16:20)

 

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Click HERE for a link to the exhibition catalogue.

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Each work has a slot for inserting a written note on each effort made to help the world, whether through volunteering, philanthropy, advocacy, education, or other just acts.

The Heller Museum's call to imagine a Tzedek Box has produced ingenious versions from contemporary artists from across America and around the world. Objects range from clocks to globes, from a jar that produces sparks of light with each submission to an interactive scroll. One work is a sleek brass shaft that opens to form the scales of justice; another is a silk hanging with a background of the forest.

Each box opens so that notes can be retrieved one month after Passover on Yom HaTzedek, which is celebrated on Pesach Sheini, a Biblical holiday allowing for second chances. The goal on that day is to review the past year’s actions and dedicate oneself to do even more in the coming year.

The idea of Yom HaTzedek and the Tzedek Box Project has been led by Dr. Andrew Mandel, a 5th-year rabbinical student at HUC-JIR. It has attracted a team of lay leaders, rabbis, and rabbinical and cantorial students to imagine how the holiday could be celebrated.

Dr. Mandel notes, "The artists in this exhibition have demonstrated that Judaism provides a remarkable diversity of visual metaphors with which to elevate the ritual of the Tzedek Box. From the prophetic mighty stream to the Kabbalistic gathering sparks of light, from the camel, whose name means to do good in Hebrew, to Holocaust imagery that cries 'never again,' each piece represents a unique contribution to the age-old conversation about who we are, looking beyond ourselves, when we seek to do our part to repair the world."

Curator Nancy H. Mantell, Ph.D., adds, "We find it remarkable how visually powerful the work of righteousness becomes when it inspires an artist’s creative process."

Jean Bloch Rosensaft, Director of the Heller Museum, explains, "This exhibition exemplifies the Heller Museum’s mission to encourage the interpretation and renewal of Jewish values, tradition, and practice through the creativity of contemporary artists in works that will advance justice in our world."


Opening Reception:
Thursday, January 26 at 4:30 - 6:30 pm; Program at 5:15 pm


Dr. Bernard Heller Museum
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion
One West Fourth Street, New York


Admission: Free; Identification and proof of vaccination required
Hours: Mondays-Thursdays, 9:00 am – 6:30 pm
Tours: Free docent-guided tours on Tuesdays at 11:00 am and 1:30 pm and by appointment; contact eberman@huc.edu
Information: Please contact HellerMuseum@huc.edu; (212) 824-2218

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MAXWELL BAUMAN - POP-UP EXHIBIT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

Presented By:

Maine Jewish Museum

Maxwell Bauman’s collection of strange Jewish-themed “Lego Art” will entertain you at MJM during the holiday season.  The focus on Hebrew letters, 10 Commandments, Tzedekah Box, and Burning Bush are created using Legos as a medium. He is a published author, and we have two books available further affirming his talent as a writer.

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Nov 4-2022 to Jan 5-2023

Maine Jewish Museum

267 Congress Street Portland, ME 04101

 

Featured in The Maine Weekender: Somewhere To Go

READ FULL NEWSLETTER

Blue Door Art Center
Yonkers, NY

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LEGO Self-Portrait

FACES: Portraits (May 1- June 1, 2020)

Reflections of humanity in the times of social distancing. Curated by Luis Perelman and Julie Cousens.

LEGO Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny

Off the Wall (March 27- April 24, 2021)

A celebration of 3D work. Explore with us as we push beyond the flat plane and pop into the third dimension. Curated by Luis Perelman and Michele Amaro.

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LEGO Stained-Glass Dragonfly

13th Annual Juried Member Exhibition and Contest (Jan 9-Feb 6, 2021)

Juried by Blue Door Art Center Executive Directors, Luis Perelman and Julie Cousens. Artist-Members of the Blue Door Art Center display their work in this special juried members-only exhibition

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LEGO Hamsa

Global Expressions (Sept 12- Oct 20, 2020)

Our roots and memories are the things that give rich texture and vivid colors to our lives. Curated by Luis Perelman and Michele Amaro.

Harlem Moishe House

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LEGO Hamsa

Veiling and Revealing: The Face Masks of the Torah: online event (Feb 27, 2021)

An online Art Expose fundraiser for Hazon, a nonprofit for Jewish community outdoor education. Acclaimed musicians, poets and artists depict the Jewish theme of veiling and revealing through their own artistic takes. This event was supported by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah as part of their Leadership Lab and featured the work of 22 artists.

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