At the end of the past spring semester, the Barnard/Columbia Hillel exhibited art produced by Jewish students and administration. I co-coordinated the show with Barry Wohl, a rising junior at the Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) and the Culture and Education Coordinator at Hillel. Wohl found coordinating this particular event very worthwhile because “it provided students with a forum that allowed people to express themselves,” a value that is “at the core of the cultural community.”
Whereas other campus galleries—even those that showcase graduate student work—typically feature exhibits for a matter of days, the Hillel show hung for two weeks and attracted a wide-ranging audience from both within the campus community and externally.
All submissions came from eight artists in a variety of media: charcoal, graphite, oils and photography. Thematically, the exhibit also spanned a diverse spectrum; Miriam Edelman’s and Alon Wertheimer’s photography captured images from their individual travels abroad, while Elizabeth Milkes Jerome’s combined photography with collage to create a cityscape. April Hovev’s work “Peru Urevu” and my work explored religious subject matter and elicited interesting discussions particularly within the religious community.
The response was not entirely supportive. Some felt these religious pieces were controversial, while others did not appreciate the full import of these works. Professor of Art History, Dr. Elizabeth Hutchinson says, “Art does not only reflect a community’s visual culture, but rather participates in creating it.” The Hillel show certainly reflects the students’ work, but it also forges a new visual culture, a department in which Jewish college communities across the country suffer.
For example, Hovev’s “Peru Urevu” outlines a pregnant woman, with the verse, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22) printed repeatedly over her image. This multi-layered discourse on procreation provoked whispers – which I overheard from a few viewers – such as “does she intend to be controversial?”
Similar comments circulated in response to two of my paintings. One untitled painting showed a synagogue scene, blocked by a physical lattice barrier which casts the viewer behind a mechitza, the division between men and women often found in Orthodox synagogues.
The other painting, “Anonymit,” the Hebrew feminine adjectival form for “Anonymous,” depicts a woman donning a tallit, a prayer shawl traditionally worn only by men in the Orthodox community. This woman, however, wears a mask to conceal her minority identity. Some viewers felt a sense of appreciation of the difficult subject matter, while others reacted with confusion and disapproval.
Other difficulties came in the form of poor circumstance. The gallery space proved difficult to use, mainly due to bad lighting and rough wall surface. Although the gallery space failed to meet the standards of a professional venue, we thankfully managed to make the best of the space we were given, and viewers expressed enthusiasm and appreciation. Wohl commented that this excitement “hopefully got the cat out of the bag—next year, we’ll definitely need a larger venue!”
Professor of Art at Columbia and President of the National Academy of design, Gregory Amenoff, points out, “All too often art is not integrated into real settings [such as Hillel]; galleries are specialized viewing spaces and are thus contained and become parenthetical.”
Reflecting on the show overall, Wohl perceives “that it was hugely successful,” and that “the show really increased awareness that Hillel is so much more than a building for religious exploration. It is a forum for intellectual and artistic ideas as well.”
Many Jewish students do not yet realize the power of creativity and of sharing their artistic talent with other members of their community. Hillels across the country can benefit a great deal by creating contexts for student artwork and for ensuing discussion and community building.
I look forward to the possibilities of a more involved role Hillels can play in the creative arena.
See images from the show at http://akko.hillel.columbia.edu/gallery/spring04/PICT0269.
