American Jewish Museum

Last updated
American Jewish Museum
AJM June 23 011.jpg
Fine, Perlow, and Weis Gallery, American Jewish Museum
Pittsburgh locator map 2018.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Pittsburgh
Established1998
Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Coordinates 40°26′16″N79°55′26″W / 40.437701°N 79.923947°W / 40.437701; -79.923947
Type Art museum
Website jccpgh.org/jewish-life-arts-events/american-jewish-museum/

The American Jewish Museum, or AJM, is a contemporary Jewish art museum located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A department of the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Pittsburgh, the museum is located in the Squirrel Hill JCC at the corner Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue, in the heart of Pittsburgh's historically Jewish neighborhood. The museum was founded in 1998, and though it does not have a permanent collection, it hosts several original and traveling exhibitions each year. The AJM aims to explore contemporary Jewish issues through art and related programs that facilitate intercultural dialogue. [1]

Contents

History

Prior to 1998, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh had a small community gallery for nearly 25 years. Under the auspices of Leslie A. Golomb Archived 2010-05-14 at the Wayback Machine , the gallery underwent a period of substantial growth, evolving into a museum and receiving accreditation from the Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM). [2] Accreditation by CAJM requires strict adherence to standards regarding archives, catalogues, and curating, as well as educational programs and outreach.

Today, the AJM galleries are still located on the Pittsburgh JCC's Squirrel Hill campus. While the AJM continues to emphasize the Pittsburgh community in its exhibitions and programming, its scope has grown as it collaborates with regional, national, and international artists and organizations. Additionally, the AJM frequently explores Jewish themes such as contemporary iterations of rituals, but aims to reach the wider community though exhibits with broad appeal and programming that encourages interfaith discourse.

Recent exhibitions

As a non-collecting museum, the AJM works with local, national, and international artists to create original exhibitions, [3] and occasionally hosts traveling exhibitions from institutions such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. [4] Here is a list of recent, notable exhibitions:

Related Research Articles

A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social, and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish culture and heritage through holiday celebrations, Israel-related programming, and other Jewish education. However, they are open to everyone in the community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squirrel Hill</span> Neighborhood of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States

Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated as a single neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holocaust Museum Houston</span> Holocaust museum in Houston, Texas

The Holocaust Museum Houston is located in Houston's Museum District, in Texas. It is the fourth largest holocaust museum in the U.S. It was opened in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florida Holocaust Museum</span> Holocaust museum in St. Petersburg, Florida

The Florida Holocaust Museum is a Holocaust museum located at 55 Fifth Street South in St. Petersburg, Florida. Founded in 1992, it moved to its current location in 1998. Formerly known as the Holocaust Center, the museum officially changed to its current name in 1999. It is one of the largest Holocaust museums in the United States. It was founded by Walter and Edith Lobenberg both of whom were German Jews who escaped persecution in Nazi Germany by immigrating to the United States. Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel served as Honorary Chairman and cut the ribbon at the 1998 opening ceremony. The Florida Holocaust Museum is one of three Holocaust Museums that are accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The museum works with the local community and survivors of the Holocaust to spread awareness and to educate the public on the history of the Holocaust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Félix de la Concha</span> Spanish-American painter

Félix de la Concha is a painter. Born in León, Spain, he resides in Pittsburgh and Madrid.

The Jewish Community Center in Omaha, Nebraska was established in 1926, and moved to its present location at 333 South 132nd Street in 1973. The original JCC was the site of important labor organizing in the city, and has continued to serve as an important center for financial support in Omaha's Jewish community throughout its history. Today the JCC is the site of a Holocaust memorial that is unique in the Midwestern United States. In 2008 teams from the United States Olympic Trials practiced at the JCC before partaking in the official trials in downtown Omaha.

Koffler Arts is a broad-based cultural institution established in 1977 by Murray and Marvelle Koffler and based at Artscape Youngplace in the West Queen West area of downtown Toronto, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miller ICA at Carnegie Mellon University</span> Contemporary art gallery in Pennsylvania, US

The Miller ICA at Carnegie Mellon University is the contemporary art gallery of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C.</span> Jewish community center in Washington, D.C., U.S.

The Edlavitch Jewish Community Center of Washington, D.C. is an American Jewish Community Center located in the historic district of Dupont Circle. It serves the Washington, D.C. area through religious, cultural, educational, social, and sport center programs open to the public, although many programs are strongly linked to Jewish culture, both in the United States and in Israel. It is part of the JCC Association (JCCA), the umbrella organization for the Jewish Community Center movement, which includes more than 350 JCCs, YM-YWHAs, and camp sites in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to 180 local JCCs in the Former Soviet Union, 70 in Latin America, 50 in Europe, and close to 500 smaller centers in Israel.

<i>Holocaust Memorial</i> (Lieberman)

Holocaust Memorial is a public artwork by American artist Claire Lieberman located on the Jewish Museum Milwaukee lawn, which is near downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is located at 1360 North Prospect Ave. This piece is 10 ft x 24 ft x 20 ft. The materials used are Corten steel, black granite, and brick. The Holocaust Memorial was created in 1983.

Henry Koerner was an Austrian-born American painter and graphic designer best known for his early Magical Realist works of the late 1940s and his portrait covers for Time magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Jewish Museum</span> Museum of the history of the Jews of Oregon

The Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education is the largest museum dedicated to the documented and visual history of the Jews of Oregon, United States. The Museum is dedicated to the preservation, research, and exhibition of art, archival materials, and artifacts of the Jews and Judaism in Oregon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish Painters of Montreal</span>

Jewish Painters of Montreal refers to a group of artists who depicted the social realism of Montreal during the 1930s and 1940s. First used by the media to describe participants of the annual YMHA-YWHA art exhibition, the term was popularized in the 1980s as the artists were exhibited collectively in public galleries across Canada. In 2009 the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec mounted a touring exhibition Jewish Painters of Montreal: A Witness to Their Time, 1930–1948, which renewed interest in the group in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver.

Yona Verwer is a Dutch-born visual artist, living in New York City.

Samuel Rosenberg (1896–1972) was an American artist and Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. He showed his work at the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum in New York, the National Academy of Art in Washington, the Corcoran Gallery, and in the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. He was a beloved art teacher, and some of his students were Mel Bochner, Philip Pearlstein and Andy Warhol.

Smadar Sheffi is an art critic, researcher of art and culture, and a curator of contemporary art. She is the founder of the Contemporary Art Center, Ramle – CACR and was the Chief Curator. Over past years, she has gained vast experience in curating exhibitions in historical structures, among them the Bialik House Museum in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem Artists House, Contemporary Art Center, Ramla - CACR, and the Pool of Arches, Ramla. Dr. Sheffi’s bilingual blog of art criticism and notes on contemporary culture, The Window, has been active since 2012.

Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century is a 1980 series of ten paintings by Andy Warhol. The series consists of ten silk-screened canvases, each 40 by 40 inches. Five editions of the series were made. The series was also produced by Warhol as a portfolio of screenprints on Lenox museum board comprising editions of 200, 30 Artist Proofs, 5 Printers Proofs, 3 EPs, and 25 unique Trial Proofs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience</span> Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana

The Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience, or MSJE, is a private, non-profit museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. The museum explores the many ways that Jews in the American South influenced and were influenced by the distinct cultural heritage of their communities. Through exhibits, collections, and programs focused on the history of Southern Jews, the museum encourages new understanding and appreciation for identity, diversity, and acceptance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline Semha Gmach</span> American educator

Jacqueline Semha Nataf Gmach is a Tunisian-born, Sorbonne-trained American educator. Her work focuses on Jewish culture, Sephardic history, and preserving the artistic achievements of people victimized by the Holocaust.

Charlee Mae Brodsky is an American fine art documentary photographer and emeritus professor of photography at Carnegie Mellon University. Her work often explores themes of social issues and beauty. She has received a regional Emmy Award and the title of Pittsburgh's Artist of the Year in 2012.

References

  1. American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. "About" Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  2. Leslie A. Golomb, Resume Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  3. University of Pittsburgh Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. "Jewish Community at the University of Pittsburgh." Archived 2011-07-20 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  4. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. "Traveling Exhibitions-Fighting the Fires of Hate: America and the Nazi Book Burnings." Archived 2010-04-30 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  5. Rochelle Blumenfeld: Hill District Paintings American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. April 13 - July 30, 2017.
  6. "Students of Samuel Rosenberg pay homage to their teacher in art exhibit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  7. Ilene Winn Lederer, Between Heaven and Earth: An Illustrated Torah Commentary. (San Francisco: Pomegranate, 2009).
  8. Kurt Shaw, "Squirrel Hill exhibit shows prayers, poems of Jewish women in the Diaspora and Israel." [ permanent dead link ]Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2010-5-26. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  9. Leslie A. Golomb and Barbara Broff Goldman, To Speak Her Heart: An Illustrated Anthology of Jewish Women's Prayers and Poems (Pittsburgh: Rodef Shalom Congregation, 2008).
  10. Kurt Shaw, "Squirrel Hill exhibit shows prayers, poems of Jewish women in the Diaspora and Israel." [ permanent dead link ]Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2010-5-26. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  11. Sarah Bauknecht, "Charlee Brodsky's images, words, movements combine to shine light on India." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2010-1-27. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  12. Charlee Brodsky, I Thought I Could Fly: Portraits of Anger, Compulsion, and Despair. (New York: Bellevue Literary Press, 2008).
  13. Carnegie Mellon School of Design. "Prof Charlee Brodsky's works exhibited at the American Jewish Museum." Archived 2011-10-03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  14. Lucy Leitner, "An exhibit documents the making of Hitler Youth." Pittsburgh City Paper. 2009-12-17. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  15. Eric Lidji, "JCC exhibits representative work of a forgotten Pittsburgh artist." Archived 2016-03-13 at the Wayback Machine Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  16. Kurt Shaw, "Artist draws on others' experiences in love." Archived 2009-12-31 at the Wayback Machine Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-12-4. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  17. Mary Thomas, "Young Pittsburghers to watch in 2009." Archived 2012-03-06 at the Wayback Machine Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  18. Joshua J. Friedman, "String Theory." [ permanent dead link ]Tablet Magazine. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  19. Mike Zoller, "Immigration Examined: JCC art exhibit concludes with Nests." Archived 2010-01-04 at the Wayback Machine Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  20. "Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals." OnQ OnDemand Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  21. American Jewish Museum of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh. ArtWorks, Fall 2007: p4.
  22. Mary Thomas, "Art Notes: Photo exhibition brings tragedy of Darfur into sharp focus." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2007-02-21. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  23. Monica Haynes, "Art Preview: Art project traces what drew refugees to Pittsburgh." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  24. Mary Thomas, "Linder's renderings of relatives depict universal relationships." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2006-07-05. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  25. Janice Rubin and Leah Lax, The Mikvah Project. (Houston: Jewish Community Center of Houston, 2001).
  26. Mary Thomas, "Mikvah Project opens at Jewish Community Center." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2004-02-05. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  27. QuiltLinks/Public Art Pittsburgh, project catalogue. (Pittsburgh: American Jewish Museum, 2004).
  28. Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture. "Traveling Exhibitions-From Home to Home." Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  29. Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture. "Our History." Retrieved 2010-06-23.
  30. Encountering the Second Commandment, exhibition catalogue. (Pittsburgh: American Jewish Museum, 2001).