Ner Tamid (Eternal Light) by Claude Reidel
Tree with Storm Clouds, New Mexico by Tom Cory
In Memory of My Dad by Maxine Hess
During the darker times of the COVID pandemic, Ann Treadwell, Jewish Federation program director, began thinking about how artists were interpreting the feeling of darkness and its transformation into light. Ms. Treadwell put out a call for art and received a huge number of inquiries only to have to email artists back saying the exhibit was postponed.
As COVID wore on, she set new guidelines and resent out the call for art to a list of local and national she accumulated over the years. A month or so later, Ms. Treadwell again retracted the call postponing the exhibit.
As the Jewish Cultural Center facility began to reopen from COVID and the refresh renovation project concluded, a third set of inquires was sent with confirmed deadlines. Over 200 entries were submitted. With the new monitor in the exhibition area, she was also able to receive entries for music videos, digital art pieces, and videos. Selected artwork from 36 artists, secular and religious, is installed in the gallery areas.
The exhibit couples pieces to contrast and compare their visual qualities and their philosophical qualities. The exhibit hallway is purposefully vibrant and celebratory. Contemplation, a sense of history, and the purpose of place is evoked in the reception area of the gallery.
The diversity of artists includes local photographers, Tom Cory and Howard Kaplan. Local painters Miki Boni, Lupina Haney and Evelyn Marie Williams are exhibited among other painters. Artists from the AIM Center and H’Art Gallery are complimented by Judaic artists depicting personal and philosophical stories. Former art professors Kayb Joseph, Judith Peck and Carolann Haggard exhibit sculptural works. In addition, Marine veterans Lourans Mikhall and AJ Azike are among the many other selected artists.
“We are pleased with the beauty, quality and elegance of this exhibit,” said Michael Dzik, Jewish Federation executive director.
Located at 5461 North Terrace Road in the Jewish Cultural Center, the gallery hours are Monday – Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. There is no fee to visit the exhibit. The exhibit closes Friday, Dec. 9.
For more information about the exhibition and programs at the Jewish Cultural Center, visit www.jewishchattanooga.com. The Jewish Federation and its programs are open to everyone regardless of religious affiliation.