AJM Previous Exhibitions
The American Jewish Museum Presented:
Rochelle Blumenfeld: Hill District Paintings
The American Jewish Museum presents
Rochelle Blumenfeld: Hill District Paintings
April 13–July 30, 2017
Artist reception: Saturday, April 15 • 5–7 pm
A recent discussion with my grandchildren made me think that I wanted to tell them more about the places where both the Fairman and Reznik families lived and worked when they came to America from Russia at the turn of the century. I thought I would show them what I remembered of the Hill District in the late 1930s. Through these paintings, future generations can see the places my Zadie Fairman and Zadie Reznik lived and how they started a new life in Pittsburgh.
—Rochelle Blumenfeld
Known as an abstract painter, Blumenfeld recently completed a series of paintings depicting her family’s businesses, Sam Reznik & Sons and Fairman Wallpaper & Paint Company, located in Pittsburgh’s Hill District. She spent her childhood between the two stores, and her paintings vividly capture their characteristics as well as the overall neighborhood vibe during the Hill’s heyday as a “crossroads to the world. “
For more information about Blumenfeld visit:
Archie Rand: Sixty Paintings from the Bible
The American Jewish Museum presents
Archie Rand: Sixty Paintings from the Bible
January 9–March 31, 2017
Fine Perlow Weis Gallery
Sixty Paintings from the Bible features Archie Rand’s distinct mash-up of comics, pulpy-style drawing and biblical narrative that generate a visually stunning and thoughtful body of work.
Artist and Jewish scholar Archie Rand depicts sixty stories from the Old Testament with seriousness, irreverence and skill. By incorporating an uncomplicated visual style and using contemporary vocabulary, he masterfully repositions ancient verses that address human history as well as the timeless struggles humans are doomed to repeat. Describing the connection between his biblical narratives and religious subject matter, art historian Samantha Baskind explains, “Crucially, Rand’s series is not didactic religious art akin to that made by Old Masters such as Raphael, but a post-modern artistic conception that also tries to universalize some of the Bible’s archetypal stories, delineating basic human emotions and issues such as power, faith, humility, sexuality, and family dynamics.”
Ultimately, Rand’s distinct mash-up of comics, pulpy-style drawing and biblical narrative generate a visually stunning and thoughtful body of work. Sixty Paintings from the Bible was curated by Samantha Baskind, professor of Art History at Cleveland State University, and is on view at The Galleries of CSU from September 1-October 18, 2016.
Artist biography: Archie Rand, born 1949, is an artist from Brooklyn, New York. Rand’s work as a painter and muralist is displayed around the world, including in the collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, and the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. There have been over 100 solo exhibitions of his work. He has published collaborative work with poets Robert Creeley, John Ashbery, Clark Coolidge, David Plante John Yau, David Lehman and Jim Cummins. He was awarded, among numerous honors, the Achievement Medal For Contributions to the Visual Arts by the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and he received the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. Formerly the Chair of the Department of Visual Arts at Columbia University he is currently the Presidential Professor of Art at Brooklyn College, CUNY. His home and studio are located in Brooklyn.
Brian Cohen: Being Good
The American Jewish Museum presents
Brian Cohen: Being Good
Artist Reception: Thursday, November 10, 6-8pm
When we share the best part of what we are with others and bring out the best that they are, we reinforce our purpose…and we’re all happy. – Randy Gilson
Being Good, organized by photographer Brian Cohen, documents three transformational artists and thinkers based in Pittsburgh who share their humanness and employ their art to improve the lives of people living in distressed neighborhoods. Being Good draws upon the nuanced difference between doing good and being good. Most people from time to time do some good. Being good, though, penetrates deeper. Being good denotes those individuals who, at the core, are driven to fashion their own lives and artistic practice to interweave with the lives of others. The work of Vanessa German, Bill Strickland and Randy Gilson concretely affects people’s reality, empowers individuals in their communities and alters the neighborhood fabric.
Vanessa German, poet, performance artist and sculptor is photographed by Lynn Johnson; Bill Strickland, ceramicist, educator and entrepreneur, is photographed by Scott Goldsmith; and Randy Gilson, visual artist and gardener, is photographed by Brian Cohen. Sorely needed, especially in a splintered world rampant with examples of inequity, Being Good confirms our capacity and desire to strive for goodness.
Links to more information about the exhibition’s photographers and artists:
http://www.scottgoldsmith.com/
http://www.lynnjohnsonphoto.com/
http://www.briancohenphotography.com/
Jerry Segal: Where Stars Are Born and Infinity Imagined
American Jewish Museum presents
Jerry Segal: Where Stars Are Born and Infinity Imagined
Opening reception: Wednesday, July 13, 7-9pm
Paintings by Jerry Segal: Where Stars Are Born and Infinity Imagined includes a broad selection of recent paintings by Segal representing the cosmos. Notably, in this new body of work he has cast aside paintbrushes and works out the compositions entirely with his hands.
Segal began painting the universe’s vastness in 2007. The sheer limitlessness and optically abstract nature of the universe, devoid of horizon lines and depths of field, remains an ongoing lure for him. Hubble Space Telescope discoveries and its contributions to astronomy, the immeasurable potential of future discoveries and the Hubble’s imagery of unfathomable interstellar formations provide Segal with rousing possibilities.
His luminous paintings, interpretations of gaseous constellations that exist in the far reaches of the solar system, likewise spur curiosity about the nature of human existence within the grand scheme of the universe.
Sanctuary & Sustenance: The Story of Many Journeys
American Jewish Museum and Jewish Family & Children’s Services co-present
Sanctuary & Sustenance: The Story of Many Journeys
Opening reception and celebration: Wednesday, May 18, 7-9pm
7:30 PM: Music and dance featuring traditions of Pittsburgh’s African and Bhutanese communities.
8:40 PM: Screening of Sanctuary & Sustenance: The Story of Many Journeys
- Sanctuary and Sustenance exhibition introduction
- Sanctuary Sustenance press release
- Sanctuary and Sustenance The Story of Many Journeys Invitation
Recognizing that the arts contribute to social transformation and bridge building, the American Jewish Museum and Jewish Family & Children’s Service co-present Sanctuary & Sustenance: The Story of Many Journeys, a multimedia presentation with images and music and a photography exhibition offering a glimpse into the lives of refugees from around the world.
More than 60 million people are without a permanent country to call home. These refugees have fled their homelands because of war or persecution. Through photography, music, and dance, Sanctuary & Sustenance tells the story of their journeys.
Focusing on Bhutanese refugee resettlement in Pittsburgh from 2014-2016, Sanctuary & Sustenance features images by photojournalist Julia Rendleman. Her compositions trace the journey during catastrophic events of displacement, the path to sanctuary, and the process of rebuilding life in Pittsburgh.
The project includes a multimedia projection comprised of images and music documenting the lives of people from around the world forced to flee their homes. The projection, and the music and dance performances, will be presented at the May 18th reception.
Sanctuary & Sustenance, organized by Chicago-based organization ArtWorks Projects, aims to raise the public consciousness of these critical issues to a wide variety of people and spark conversations about our collective responsibility to welcome refugees and encourage policy makers to act in favor of fundamental human rights for refugees and asylum seekers.
Community partners include: Allegheny County Department of Human Services, Immigrants & Internationals Initiative; Bhutanese Community Association of Pittsburgh; City of Pittsburgh Mayor’s Office, Welcoming Pittsburgh; FORGE; Greater Pittsburgh Literary Council; Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh Community Relations Council; NextGen:Pgh; Northern Area Multi-Service Center; Pennsylvania Refugee Coordinator Office; Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee; Repair the World; South Hills Interfaith Movement; Three Rivers Community Foundation; and United African Communities.
Jane Haskell: Drawing In Light
The JCC’s American Jewish Museum presents
Jane Haskell: Drawing In Light
October 20, 2015–February 19, 2016
Fine Perlow Weis Gallery
Berger Gallery
- Drawing In Light Exhibition Introduction
- Jane Haskell Drawing In Light Press Release
- Jane Haskell Drawing In Light Exhibit Invitation
- Drawing In Light Activity Guide
- Jane Haskell Day City of Pittsburgh Proclamation
Drawing In Light surveys Jane Haskell’s (1923–2013) artistic scope and focuses on work in which the emphasis on light is key. The exhibition—the first in-depth examination of her work—includes approximately 30 light sculptures, paintings and drawings.
Drawing In Light is curated by Dr. Vicky A. Clark and Melissa Hiller, American Jewish Museum Director.
Jane Haskell’s Modernism: A Pittsburgh Legacy on view (November 7, 2015–May 16, 2016) at Carnegie Museum of Art
Jane Haskell: Drawing In Light
Written by Vicky A. Clark and Melissa Hiller
Introduction by Richard Armstrong, Director, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
Softcover, 187 pages with over 100 illustrations, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-45331-5
$30.00
This visually stunning publication, Jane Haskell: Drawing In Light, surveys Haskell’s career. Originally from New York, Jane Haskell (1923-2013) was an artist and a philanthropist who made Pittsburgh her home for nearly fifty years. Authors Vicky A. Clark and Melissa Hiller focus their insightful examination on Haskell’s sculpture, painting and drawing in which the emphasis on light is key.
Drawing In Light is the first-ever in depth examination of Haskell’s work and includes an introduction by her longtime friend and colleague Richard Armstrong, a biographical sketch by American Jewish Museum Director Melissa Hiller, and an essay by Hiller and art historian Vicky A. Clark, PhD. Their essay covers substantial ground about Haskell’s work, her sensibilities and influences, and her position within the schema of twentieth-century art and artists. Observations by Haskell’s friends, family and colleagues add a personal dimension. The honest, perceptive comments about who she was and what she stood for contextualize this iconic and beloved artworld figure.
FOUNDATIONS
The Fine Foundation
The Heinz Endowments
Irving and Aaronel deRoy Gruber Foundation
Jack Buncher Foundation
Michael and Sherle Berger Foundation
Netzer Foundation
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Speyer Family Foundation
INDIVIDUALS
Anonymous (3)
Elise Adibi & Joan and Siamak Adibi
Family of Sidney S. Alexander
Marjorie Allon
Jane C. Arkus
Richard Armstrong
Edith and Egon Balas
Jo-Anne L. Bates
The Berkman Family
Deborah and Sam Berkovitz
Robin Bernstein
Susan and John Block
Rochelle and Irving* Blumenfeld
Joy Borelli-Edwards
Nancy and David Brent
Charlee Brodsky and Mark Kamlet
Carol Brown
Gillian Cannell and John Cummings
Judith and Ronald Davenport
Andrea and Chad Deal
Ruth and Seymour Drescher
Edith H. Fisher
Isabel and Lee Foster
Robin and Abe Friedman
Mary Lou and Henry J. Gailliot
Ruth Garfunkel
Nanette and Ira* Gordon
Rita J. Gould
Marcia Gumberg
Leslie Golomb Hartman and Ronald Hartman
The Haskell Family
Adrienne and Ted Heinrich
Elsie and Henry L. Hillman
Jewish Residential Services
Wallis and Marshall Katz
Ellen and Jack Kessler
Sydelle and Dr. Laibe Kessler Philanthropic Fund
Barbara Krause and Lawrence King
Corinne and Seymoure Krause
Eileen and Nicholas Lane
Marilyn and Earl Latterman
Harry Leeds
Sally Levin*
Margie H. and Jim Lieber
Sheila and Tom Lieber
Susan and Paul Lieber
Kathryn Logan
Jean McCullough
Ann and Marty McGuinn
Susan and Dick Nernberg
Nancy and Woody Ostrow
Robert Qualters
James and Idamae Rich Fund of
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Agnes Rocher
Rodef Shalom Congregation
Louisa Rosenthal*
Marcia Rosenthal
Mayda and Barry Roth
Rubinoff-Dunham Family Fund of
The Pittsburgh Foundation
Diane Samuels
Ann Gibbons Scherlis and William L. Scherlis
Veronica and Jon Schmerling
Louise Silk
Lea Simonds
Nellie Lou Slagle
Susan and Peter Smerd
Cecile M. and Eric W. Springer
Temple Sinai
Nancy and Milton Washington
Susan and Robert Weis
Susan and David Werner
Gaylen and Richard Westfall
Elizabeth Witzke-Baum and Allen Baum
*of blessed memory
In-kind support is provided by Artist & Craftsman Supply and Blick Art Materials
Carnegie Museum Exhibit
Jane Haskell’s Modernism: A Pittsburgh Legacy
November 7, 2015–May 16, 2016
Jane Haskell was an influential presence in Pittsburgh for more than 40 years. Her own artwork, as well as the objects she collected and commissioned for her home, reveal her particular take on Modernism and abiding interest in experimentation with color, line, light, and form. As a board member and donor, Haskell helped Carnegie Museum of Art (CMOA) collect more than 50 works that reflect crucial international developments in abstract art over the course of the 20th century, including pieces by Kazimir Malevich, Vassily Kandinsky, Carlo Carrà, El Lissitzky, Pablo Picasso, Frank Stella, Eva Hesse, Richard Long, and Dan Flavin. Jane Haskell’s Modernism presents these important works, as well as drawings of and objects from Haskell’s residence designed by Pittsburgh-based architect Herbert Seigle. Framing Haskell’s art practice through the lens of artists she admired, the exhibition also illuminates her tremendous impact within the city’s art community, and especially, at the Carnegie Museum of Art.
May I Tell You of Private First Class Nathan Hilu?
American Jewish Museum presents
Nathan Hilu: Word, Image, Memory
March 23-April 22, 2016
Fine Perlow Weis Gallery
- May I Tell You of Private First Class Nathan Hilu exhibition invitation
- May I Tell You of Private First Class Nathan Hilu exhibition introduction
- May I Tell You of Private First Class Nathan Hilu Press Release
Our current exhibit includes chromatic drawings by Hilu that depict his recollections of being a guard during the Nuremberg Trials in the aftermath of World War II, memories of growing up during the Depression in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, and his interpretations of Jewish stories and folklore. A self-taught maker, Hilu ignores standards and conventions of artmaking, preferring to mix drawing with memoir-style writing and to make work by collaging and taping cardboard and paper together. His frenzied depictions, which resemble a stream of consciousness visual journal, are unpolished yet stunningly vibrant and compelling. Lifted from the title of one of his visual memoirs (pictured), the phrase May I Tell You of Private First Class Nathan Hilu? demonstrates his fixation on expressing that in spite of his modest status, he has personally witnessed and experienced—and has something to say about—history’s most epic moments throughout the twentieth century.
Lending perceptive context and insight, the exhibition includes written interpretations of Hilu by students from University of Pittsburgh’s Gender and Jewish History and History of the Holocaust classes. Their writing, which accompanies Hilu’s artwork, enhances and challenges our understanding of Hilu.
The Israelite Samaritans and the Festival of Unleavened Bread
The American Jewish Museum presents
Photographs by Dale Lazar Fine
May 4–July 24, 2015
Perlow Weis Gallery
Dale Lazar’s striking photographs of the Israelite Samaritans tell a compelling story of this small, yet enduring religious community celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The photographs depict moments captured by Lazar between 3 am and 7 am. Additional photographs portray members of the Samaritan community during a subsequent visit to the region.
The Israelite Samaritan religion is similar to, but distinct from Judaism. Samaritans follow one sacred text, the Samaritan Torah. They are led by a high priest; venerate their Temple Mount, Mt. Gerizim on the West Bank; and practice a style of Israelite religion that predates the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem. There are approximately 800 Samaritans in the world today.
Louise Silk: BubbeWisdom
The American Jewish Museum Presents
Louise Silk: BubbeWisdom
January 19–April 17, 2015
The Anna L. and Irene
V. Caplan Exhibit
Louise Silk: BubbeWisdom features Silk’s work and celebrates her 65th birthday.
The exhibition includes 18 quilts, a children’s spiritual tent, and a quilt that will be made in collaboration with participants at the JCC. Yiddish for grandmother, a bubbe possesses simultaneous pushiness and affection because she has seen it all and knows what’s best. Silk expertly combines her identity as a bubbe with quilt-making and storytelling. Keenly interested in politics, the environment, women’s issues and culture, Silk—an artist for nearly 40 years—has a lot to express through her quilts.
Silk ties the threads of philosophical values, physical consciousness, psychological emotions and ephemeral spirit in combination with moral knowledge and common sense. Guiding Silk is a lifelong effort to enhance kavanah, the intentional and conscious living of precise action in the correct way in the appropriate time. As her third AJM exhibition, following I Was There; I am Here: The Illumination of a Soul, 1994, and Pieces of Memory, 2000, BubbeWisdom displays the evolution of Silk’s quilting practice and creates a sense of shared history around her artistic and personal experiences.
Louise Silk: BubbeWisdom is made possible, in part, by the Jewish Healthcare Foundation
Emily Newman and the New Chelyuskinites
The American Jewish Museum presents
Emily Newman and the New Chelyuskinites
November 10, 2014–January 8, 2015
Emily Newman’s The New Chelyuskinites is equal parts social documentary, tableaux and oral history. Modeled after the calamitous 1933-34 Russian sea expedition that trapped 111 people on arctic ice for two months after their ship—the Chelyuskin—sank, The New Chelyuskinites draws upon the collective memories of the event and its aftermath.
Participants from different generations worked together with Newman to represent the expedition, its shipwreck, what it took for people to survive, the expedition’s rescue and their ceremonial decoration. The exhibition includes video and print documentation of participants recreating various stages of the expedition and a small-scale model of the Chelyuskin just before its demise. Built for children to climb and play on, the ship’s model aims to prompt the JCC’s Russian-American community to relate childhood stories and talk more about Russia and the Soviet Union with AJM visitors.
While a disastrous expedition that occurred 80 years ago in the Arctic Sea might seem a remote topic for consideration today, the launch of the Chelyuskin was an historic undertaking. It signaled noteworthy scientific achievements and beckoned toward unprecedented commercial opportunities. Although technically a failure, the expedition’s tenacity and successful rescue shocked the world. Strangely, it was victory of sorts for communism, which was claimed to have been the secret explaining their survival.
The New Chelyuskinites creates a platform for current-day Russians, both here and abroad, to share memories from the Soviet era. Based on two years of collaboration between Newman and participants from Pittsburgh’s Russian community, and one year working in St. Petersburg, Russia, the project intertwines individual voices with broader truths about this period in world history.
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