In the Beginning: Artists Respond to Genesis November 22, 2009 - February 28, 2010
In the Beginning re-imagines the first chapter of Genesis through a series of commissioned works by dynamic and internationally acclaimed contemporary artists including: Alan Berliner, Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Matthew Ritchie, Ben Rubin, and Shirley Shor. Featuring diverse conceptual approaches and artistic practices, the artists challenge viewers to consider various ideas about the origins of our universe and our beginnings.
[View Press Release]
The exhibition In the Beginning: Artists Respond to Genesis was organized by the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, and has been adapted by the Yeshiva University Museum for this presentation.
Image (at left): Shirley Shor, The Well, 2008. Multimedia installation. Commissioned by the Contemporary Jewish Museum. Courtesy of the artist and Mike Weiss Gallery. Photo credit: Bruce Damonte.
Images (on home page): Alan Berliner, Playing God, 2009; Multimedia installation; variable dimensions. Photo credit: Sibila Savage. Courtesy of the artist; Matthew Ritchie, Day One, 2008 (detail); Interactive digital animation, acrylic and marker on wall with audio; Variable dimensions. Photo credit: Bruce Damonte. Courtesy of the artist and Andrea Rosen Gallery; Ben Rubin, God’s Breath Hovering Over the Waters (His Master’s Voice), 2008; Aluminum, wood, steel, audio electronics, and two framed photographs; Variable dimensions.
Photo credit: Sibila Savage; Mierle Laderman Ukeles, Tsimtsum/Shevirat Ha-Kelim: Contraction/The Shattering of the Perfect Vessels—Birthing Tikkun Olam: As Above So Below/As Below So Above, 2008; Mixed media installation; Variable dimensions. Photo credit: Bruce Damonte. Courtesy of the artist and Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York. All images from commissioned works by the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco for In the Beginning: Artists Respond to Genesis, (June 8, 2008–January 6, 2009).
Letters of Conscience: Raphael Lemkin and the Quest to End Genocide
November 15, 2009 - April 18, 2010
This exhibition focuses on the activities and legacy of Raphael Lemkin, a Polish-American Jewish lawyer who coined the term genocide, working relentlessly and inventively to protect the rights and survival of specific groups targeted for destruction. Organized jointly with the American Jewish Historical Society and the Center for Jewish History, this exhibition, which presents a fascinating array of original correspondence and documents, serves as a stirring and important reminder of an individual's ability to better humanity and the future.
Hyman Bloom: A Spiritual Embrace
September 13, 2009 - January 24, 2010
Considered by Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock to be "the first Abstract Expressionist in America," Hyman Bloom never gave up representational art. He began his career by painting rabbis, cantors and Torah covers, using them as a metaphor for his own spiritual questioning. This exhibition of nearly 50 paintings and drawings by the renowned Boston Expressionist painter reveals his recurring interest in these motifs and his exploration of Jewish spirituality and mysticism through a distinctly personal modernist
style. [View Press Release]
This exhibition was organized by the Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, Massachusetts, and was curated by its Director, Katherine French.
Many Lives: A Sculptural Installation by Andrew Rogers Opens November 22, 2009
Australian artist Andrew Rogers, creator of one of the world's largest contemporary land art projects, transforms the Museum’s garden through sculptural forms suggesting a river bed, a tree of life and rays of light in this specially designed multipart installation. Featuring a large marble relief and twenty carved stones, the installation, conceived in response to the story of our origins in the Book of Genesis, invites contemplation and dialogue on the interaction between ancient life and contemporary society.
Folk Art Judaica by Herman Braginsky August 9, 2009 - February 28, 2010
Carved ritual objects made of fine and aged woods, including tzedakah boxes, Torah pointers, mizrach plates, mezuzot, dreidels, Torah arks, spice containers, and other works created by self-taught craftsman Herman Braginsky (1912-1999). These meticulously carved objects reveal an appreciation for Jewish tradition and sensitivity for color and material.
Creation and the Ten Commandments: A Visual Journey by Rudi Wolff August 9 - February 28, 2010
Digital serigraphs inspired by two cornerstone biblical texts: Genesis and the Ten Commandments. An award-winning New York graphic artist, Rudi Wolff creates an abstract language that evokes the primacy and beauty of Creation and suggests the power and moral nuance of the Ten Commandments.
