JEWISH WOMEN ARTIST'S NETWORK (JWAN)

PAST EVENTS 2008 *In the Beginning, the current National Juried Exhibition at The Women's Museum in Dallas is sponsored by the Jewish Women Artists' Network (JWAN), a special interest group within the Women's Caucus for Art (WCA). The Call to Artists elicited a great diversity of thought and visual expression from women artists around the country. Artists referenced the Biblical story of Creation as the ultimate Beginning. They also looked at beginnings/endings from the personal perspective; each viewing her own situation, disappointments, loss and grief, or joy in finding hope, spiritual renewal, and the opportunity to create a new beginning. The Exhibition Organizers and Co-Chairs, Fay Grajower, Boston and Simone Soltan, Chapel Hill, NC, are working artists who have teamed up to organize and facilitate national exhibitions for JWAN. The two organized JWAN's 2007 exhibit, words within, at the Kraft Center at Columbia University in New York City, that traveled to the Rubin-Frankel Gallery at Boston University Hillel for an additional two months. A full color catalogue accompanies the exhibition. The current exhibit of 21 artists and 42 works is on view through April 27, 2008 Pictures of the exhibition are at: 2005 "Tikkun Olam: To Repair the World*" at the Main Street Gallery at The Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA)-- January 18 - March 28. The juried exhibition of seventeen pieces created by twelve members of the Jewish Women Artists' Network was held in conjunction with the National WCA Conference in Atlanta, 2005. The exhibition was a stop on the WCA Conference Gallery Tour. Left to right: Laurie Wohl (Unweaving, Mixed Media); Beth Shadur (Watercolor and Acrylic); Ruth Katz (Series of Giclee Prints); Jennifer Judelson (Pen and Primacolor Pencil); Beatrice Schall (photographic images); Kat Grossman (watercolor paper in compact); Susan Makin (oil) and Flora Rosefsky (Mixed Media Collage). Exhibition view
Tikkun Olam – Healing the World Tikkun Olam, or repairing the world through social action, can be traced to classical rabbinic literature and Lurianic Kabbalah, a major strand of Jewish mysticism originating with the work of the 16th-century Kabbalist Isaac Luria. The Jewish tradition teaches that it is up to us to help heal the world and bring the sparks of G-d together through our actions. Jews have interpreted Tikkun Olam in modern life as an involvement in social and political issues, and many American Jewish artists have used these themes in their work. “How do we repair the world? As artists, we make visual statements to communicate with our audience. We hope to engage others in events, problems and dilemmas to be solved. Through confrontation with issues difficult to face - the artist becomes an instrument of political change.” Marcia Annenberg - presenting artist
"Tikkun Olam" at the Makor/Steinhardt Center of the 92nd Street Y in New York April 14th - May 15th, 2005 Organized and curated by Karin Luner and Robin Schatell/urban arts productions with the generous help of the Makor Staff, Stephen Arnoff, and Anat Litwin. This exhibition was largely sponsored by a grant from the Puffin Foundation. Special thanks as well to Ethel Young and Leonard Stark for their contributions.
left to right: Laurie Wohl: Wing, unweaving®, m/m, 1995 Barbara Rae Schaefer: The Copper Scroll, oil on canvas, 2003 Ellen Hanauer: Come Together, mixed media , 2001 Marcia Annenberg: Housewife, acrylic on canvas, 1995 Flora Rosefsky: Life Chapters, mixed media collage, 2004 (far right)	Laurie Wohl and Marcia Annenberg at the opening of the show. artwork left to right: Laurie Wohl: Wing, unweaving®, m/m, 1995 Barbara Rae Schaefer: The Copper Scroll, oil on canvas, 2003
left to right: Flora Rosefsky: Life Chapters, mixed media collage, 2004 Malcah Zeldis: All Men Are Created Equal, oil on wood, 1992 Karen Frostig: Blue Jay Tatoo Logo, giclee print in gold frame, 2004 Cat Tatoo Logo, giclee print in gold frame, 2004 Bull’s Eye Tatoo Logo, giclee print in gold frame, 2004 Apple Tatoo Logo, giclee print in gold frame, 2004	left to right: part of Karen Frostig's work "Tatoos" Helen Aylon: Stone Carrying, black/white photos, 1981 (3 panels) Stone Sacs, black/white photo, 1981 (4 panels)
left to right: Whitney Giehl: Grieving for Mother, craypas on paper, 2003 Aileen Bassis: Man in A Hat #9, photocopy transfer prints on paper, 2004 Man in A Hat #5, photocopy transfer prints on paper, 2004	Artists shown at Makor: Marcia Annenberg - NYC Helène Aylon - NYC Aileen Bassis - Oradell, NJ Sibylla Benatova - Philadelphia, PA Karen Frostig - Newton, MA Whitney Giehl - San Francisco, CA Joan Goldsmith - Livingston, NJ Ellen Hanauer - Livingston, NJ Joanne Klein - Clinton Corners, NY Rona Lesser - Houston, TX Flora Rosefsky - Decatur, GA Barbara Rae Schaefer - Brooklyn, NY Laurie Wohl - NYC Malcah Zeldis - NYC