A Place For Everyone At The Table...We Are All Created B'tzelem Elohim

We Are All Made בצלם אלהים Btzelem Elohim

This past weekend I worked with approximately 150 children and their educators at Temple Israel Center (TIC) in White Plains New York on a special project celebrating and learning about inclusion and the connection with the concept of being made B'tzelem Elohim (In God's Image).  

For this project students studied three Jewish texts that teach us about being made in God's image, and importantly, what this means for us as humans--what are our responsibilities to ourselves, our planet, our neighbors?  

Text One:

 And God said: 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.' 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created him; male and female created He them. 28 And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that lives on the earth.‘    -Genesis 1:26-1:28

Text Two:

(Rabbi Akiva)would say, ‘Human beings are beloved because they were created in the image of God. It is an even greater love that this was made know to humanity, as it says, "and in the image of God were people created."-Mishnah Pirkei Avot 3:14 

Text Three:

Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, said: What does the Torah mean when it says: “You shall walk in the ways of the Lord(Deuteronomy 13:5).”  Can a person really walk in the shadow of God?  Rather, it means that you should imitate the ways of God… Just as God visits the sick, so you too should visit the sick.  Just as God comforts those who are sad, so you too should comfort those who are sad.   --Babylonian Talmud, Sota 14a

Each text presents a different perspective, and we used them to layer our conversation to come up with what it means to be made in God's image. We talked about being stewards of our environment, about including and loving all people, no matter how different they are, and about how being made in God's imge is not about how we look but about how we act.    

Then I taught students how to use watercolor resist using oil pastels and watercolor paint, and they created self portraits that showed how they were uniquely made in God's image.  

Student portraits included images of themselves taking care of animals, being kind to their friends, planting trees, painting, dancing, playing sports, reading and doing math amongst other things.  

They were able to demonstrate their uniqueness in a way that celebrated themselves along with God and creation.  It was a beautiful thing.  

Once the study and art creation was complete, I gathered all the artwork together and began the two day process of transforming this table into a complete work of art.  

I prepared the surface for our work (and used a hand sander for the first time!)

I cut out each and every piece of artwork, so that I could layer the self portraits and their details in an appealing way.  then I began laying out the images.  

I designed the table so that no matter which angle you approached it from, the faces would always be looking at you.  

I layered the self portraits and the special details, and used Mod Podge to seal them on the table.

I used acrylic paint to paint the sides and fill in the gaps where the artwork did not overlap.

And then, based on the conversations and text study, I used paint pens (Liquitex has some amazing ones) to detail the edges with the students' own words on the meaning of being made B'tzelem Elohim.

Here are some final close up pictures before the table gets its acrylic table top (for protection).  This table will live in this alcove, with the benches, for learners and community members to use and enjoy for many years to come.

I had an amazing time working with this community.  Thanks for having me Temple Israel Center!

Busy Busy

Its been a busy time in my studio! I've been getting ready for my solo show "Tradition and Inspiration" that will be at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art starting January 22nd.  The show, which runs until April 4th, will include 45 original works that have been mainly created in the last 5 years.  I find this time frame to be most appropriate since that has been the amount of time that I have lived in Central Pennsylvania, and the time in which I have been my most productive, and most truly embraced the idea of being a working artist.

I am excited to share this body of work with you and to reflect on this theme which resonates so strongly through my experience as a Jewish educator and artist.

In addition to the work I have been creating for this show, and the work I have been creating for commissions or for sale, I have also been teaching.  I love how the act of teaching and developing communal art projects has been so invigorating, and how that work has inspired my own work, as well as the opposite.
As I endeavor to create and to be inspired, I am amazed at how fully this cycle is self perpetuating.  I teach, I create, I reflect, I begin again. I think I need to write a blog about this!  well, that will be more work for another day.

For today, I simply wanted to give you a glimpse into the work in my studio.  The works on my walls, on my art table, and on the side table (since I am out of room on my walls and on my art table), are all works in progress.  I can't wait to see what they will become, and to bring them all together, in their final form.

And this last piece is finally done...I think.

Hayom Harat Olam, Today the Earth is Born Anew.

On Rosh Hashanah we hear the shofar blast and recite "Hayom Harat Olam"  Today the world is born. I just love this idea--this concept of renewal and rebirth.  Today we are fresh and our world is fresh.  We are filled with the potential of tomorrow, we are pregnant with all that is possible.  Today we await what will be and we are also the creators of what will be.

-Mystical Earth

I am ready for this new year. I have great hopes for myself, my family and my community. I have two nephews and a niece to love and spoil, and another new nephew on his way. We have an upcoming  wedding that will bring joy to a family that has known too much sorrow.  My own children bring so much light and joy and laughter.  They are growing too fast and it is a pleasure to witness. My husband has meaningful work and our community continues to embrace us alongside him.  My work is satisfying and I keep finding new projects to keep me learning and growing. I have some hopes too. Perhaps this will be the year that I will finally let go of the behaviors that weigh me down and the parts of my life that are not as they should be.  Who knows what will be. Today is pregnant with eternity. Today is my chance to make change.  

With Best Wishes For a Shana Tovah! Happy New Year!

Communal Art Making at Camp

Here is another installment on creating art at Camp Ramah.  This time, I worked with students to create a piece of lasting communal art as a gift to camp.

As part of our process my campers and I engaged in study of prayer, held conversations about meaning, looked deeply at the words and language of those prayers and sought personal connections.

For this project each camper chose a specific prayer from shacharit (the morning service).  They studied alone and in groups and came up with images that described their chosen prayer.

I taught them to use oil pastels and watercolor paint to create watercolor resist paintings that reflected their ideas about the prayers that they studied.  Each camper created their own images based on their group conversations and personal connections.  

Had we left the work at this stage, I could safely say that my students had a unique experience studying prayer.  They were happy with their work and they had interesting things to say upon reflection.  However, we were only half done.

Once all the work had been created, we laid out the paintings on the ground.  Students were asked to reflect on the work and start to think about how to organize them into one large painting.  There was some debate, and this was not an easy process.  However, as they got into it, the ideas started to flow.  We came up with a design that told a story and reflected the many diverse ideas we find in our morning service.

we sketched out our mural idea on paper, and then the campers got to work cutting up their art in service of the larger mural.

Once all the pieces were cut out and laid down, the campers got to work putting them all together in a way that told a story and was visually appealing.  We struggled to find meaning and connection between the disparate pieces.   

When it was dry, we detailed it with acrylic paint and outlined each piece with india ink.  I think the final result is spectacular--a true example of artistic vision and communal process.  

Here is the final piece:

We are excited to share this with camp and see it placed in a makom t'fillah--a communal prayer space to be enjoyed by campers for many years to come.  

Making Micrography and Text Study at Camp

This Summer I taught at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires (Chinuch Staff, Yahadut for those of you playing along in Ramah Hebrew).  I was excited but nervous---I have loved my two previous years in the art room (omanut), and was not sure what to expect with the switch.

In true Jewish Leaning Thru Art form, I wanted to make sure that my classes included both real art creation and meaningful Jewish learning.  I worked with incoming 7th graders (Tzeirim) and 9th graders (Bogrim).

Our first project was based on the art form known as micrography or microcalligraphy.  I taught students about the history of the form, which developed in Egypt in the late 9th century, as a response to the Halackhic (Jewish Law) prohibition against creating graven images (images that could be used in idol worship). The rationale behind micrography was that an image created out of holy words could never be used in idol worship.  Interestingly, at the same time, and completely independently, this same art form arose in the Muslim world, as a response to a similar prohibition.  It seems that all cultures have the same need to create, and given a prohibition that attempts to block this urge, artists will go to great lengths to work around it.

Omer Calendar (detail)

Italy, ca. 1825 Micrographic text: Five Megillot (Esther, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Lamentations) B (NS)Mc43

My campers looked at traditional micrographic images and talked about the reasons for the development of the art form. Then we looked at modern images and played with the technique.
Then, we pulled out the siddurim (prayer books).

Each student chose a prayer or text from Siddur Sim Shalom to study.  they talked about the prayers in Chevruta (study partnerships) to help them deepen their understanding of the prayer and its meanings:

After studying they created images using watercolor paint and pencil, and filled them in with the words of the text using sharpie markers.

These campers worked really hard, they learned a lot, and had a chance to slow down and really consider the words of prayer and their meanings.  I was so proud of them and really loved working with them!