Sunday, March 27th, 2016 featured an art symposium at The Jewish Museum, New York. Organized by the Harry Friedman Society, the Alfred & Jean Moldovan Memorial Symposium involved three Jewish Art Salon members.
Ori Z. Soltes, Goldman Professorial Lecturer in Theology & Fine Art, Georgetown University, who is also an Advisor to the Jewish Art Salon, presented Defining Jewish Art in the Twenty-First Century.
This was followed by Two Jewish Artists at Work: Examining Their Process and Methodologies with Richard McBee, Artist, Writer, Co-Founder & Curator, Jewish Art Salon, and Archie Rand, Artist, Professor of Art, Brooklyn College.
Short video excerpts of these presentations can be viewed on youtube here.
During the symposium several J.A.S. members’ work was shown or mentioned, including Matthew Baigell, Mark Podwal, Joel Silverstein, Richard McBee, Archie Rand, Yona Verwer, Siona Benjamin, Tobi Kahn, Robert Kirschbaum, and Helene Aylon.
In addition, Susan Braunstein, Henry J. Leir Curator of Archaeology and Judaica, The Jewish Museum gave an insightful lecture Blurring the Boundaries: Ritual Objects and Contemporary Art. Rochelle Weinstein, Professor Emerita of Art, Borough of Manhattan Community College spoke about Shalom Italia’s Drawn and Engraved Megillot
The Harry Friedman Society, an organization for people who collect Judaic objects, is named after Harry Friedman who bought 5,000 pieces of Judaica for The Jewish Museum, creating a significant part of the museum’s Judaica collection. It sponsors lectures by Judaica experts, scholars, and collectors to help members understand what and why they were collecting.
This year’s symposium, with its emphasis on contemporary fine art, was a departure and a welcome addition.
