Modern Interpretations of an Ancient Tradition
Opening Reception: Sunday, September 11, 2022, 6:00-8:00pm
The exhibition will feature the work of nineteen artists, three of whom are Jewish Art Salon members: Ken Goldman, Rachel Kanter, Karey Kessler.
The Stanton Street Shul Gallery, 180 Stanton Street, New York, NY 10038
September 11, 2022 – October 30, 2022 By appointment.
Click on the images to enlarge
Left to right:
Here is the Place, Karey Kessler
Community Wimple, Rachel Kanter
We Can All Use Some Rest, Kenneth Goldman
This curated arrangement of works, titled The Seventh Year: Shmita – Modern Interpretations of an Ancient Tradition reflects on the artistic interpretation of the Biblical sabbatical tradition of the Shmita year, the final year in a seven-year cycle where farmers and landowners in Israel are asked to refrain from working the land, allow the land to rest, and submit to Divine trust that their needs will be provided. The agricultural rest and renewal process mirrors the refocus and release of the farmer to a greater power. The Shmita tradition is celebrated this Jewish year of 5782.
Inspired by the submissions of artists from around the world to the Shmita Prizes Arts Competition – a project of Hazon, the Jewish Lab for Sustainability – Abigail H. Meyer, curator of the exhibition and judge for the competition, selected twenty works of fine art and ritual objects that best spoke to the considerations, commitment and themes associated with Shmita: One’s relationship with the natural environment, transformation and elevation from the mundane, selflessness in a greater world, the embrace of rest for renewal, sustainability, and the spiritual relationship between human, Heaven and land. Works on view are composed of various media, diverse messaging and visionary interpretations of these themes. The exhibition seeks to honor the Shmita tradition and the values it instills including the importance of charity, aiding those in need and a belief in a power greater than the individual self.
The historic Stanton Street Shul generously hosts the exhibition The Seventh Year: Shmita during the final months of this year’s Shmita experience. All are invited to view the exhibition, consider the thought-provoking works and their unique messages and experience contemporary, artistic interpretations of an ancient tradition.
A Virtual Conversation with the Artists and Curator, September 2022, details forthcoming.
For more information, contact Jill Slater: info@stantonstshul.com