Art

Joan E. Biren (JEB)

Joan E. Biren, or JEB, is a photographer and filmmaker who documented lesbian life and social justice movements from the early 1970s to today. A member of the influential Furies Collective in Washington, D.C., Biren was among the first lesbian photographers to research and construct a history of lesbians in photography. 

Collage of stone bust

“How Dare You!” America’s Next Top Model’s Toxic Reign Over Feminism

Sarah Feldman

America’s Next Top Model was meant to be entertaining, but it was also meant to teach young girls about the industry and narrow societal standards.

Eliana Melmed

7 Questions For Wedding Photographer Eliana Melmed

Emma Breitman

Eliana Melmed is a wedding photographer who wants to help Jewish couples capture their special day authentically.

Topics: Photography

Sparking Jewish Joy with Stephanie Butnick

In this bonus episode of Can We Talk?, Jen Richler talks to Stephanie Butnick, founder of the Jewish lifestyle newsletter GOLDA, about sparking Jewish joy through rituals, books, art—and shopping.

Elke Reva Sudin headshot

7 Questions for Fashion Designer and Artist Elke Reva Sudin

Emma Breitman

JWA sat down with visual artist and entrepreneur Elke Reva Sudin to discuss her impressive artistic and entrepreneurial pursuits.

Clara Lander

Understanding My Grandmother’s Legacy in a Changed World

Ahava Rosenthal

As my daughter and I walked through the museum that Clara Lander helped grow, I grappled with the meaning of her absence from the walls of this place she loved.

Topics: Art, Activism
Maya Erdelyi Headshot

7 Questions for Animator Maya Erdelyi

Emma Breitman

JWA sat down with award-winning animator and artist Maya Erdelyi to discuss her career and recent short film, Anyuka.

Topics: Art, Media, Holocaust

Museum of Contemporary Art of Caracas is Inaugurated with Sofía Ímber as its Director

February 20, 1974

On February 20, 1974, the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas (MACC) was officially inaugurated, with Sofia Ímber as its first director. Ímber served as the museum’s director until Hugo Chávez removed her in 2001. 

Hannah Lupton Reinhard Headshot

7 Questions for Hannah Lupton Reinhard

Emma Breitman

JWA sat down with painter, Hannah Lupton Reinhard, to discuss her vibrant portraits studded with Swarovski crystals.

Bianca Eshel-Gershuni

Bianca Eshel-Gershuni (1932-2020) was a pioneering Israeli sculptor and jewelry designer known for challenging artistic conventions and redefining the boundaries between craft and fine art. In contrast to the dominant minimalist, conceptual, and abstract tendencies of her time, her work proposed an aesthetic of abundance—a profusion of materiality, color, narrativity, and personal expression—paving the way for generations of artists exploring gender, kitsch, and popular culture.

Artist Evie Metz and 613 Sculpture

7 Questions For Artist Evie Metz

Sarah Groustra

JWA chats with multidisciplinary artist Evie Metz about recurring motifs in her work, making the familiar unfamiliar, and 613, her new five-foot-tall pomegranate sculpture. 

Episode 127: The Scribe and Her Quill

For centuries, writing a Torah scroll was a sacred task reserved for men. But a couple of decades ago, a handful of women decided to pick up the quill—without waiting for permission—and paved the way for other women to do the same. In this episode of Can We Talk?, we hear from women who write Torah scrolls and explore what it means to inscribe yourself into tradition.

Collage of Diane Von Furstenberg

The Feminine Power of Diane Von Furstenberg’s Wrap Dress

Dany Dorsey

When I put my wrap dress on, it is a continuation of Von Furstenberg's legacy of empowerment. 

En Camino by Mirta Kupferminc, 2001

Q & A with Argentine Artist Mirta Kupferminc

Deborah Leipziger

JWA chats with Argentine artist Mirta Kupferminc.

Topics: Art, Holocaust

Mae Rockland Tupa

Mae Rockland Tupa (b. 1937) is an accomplished multimedia artist and author whose prolific work has helped shape the field of Jewish Americana. Her work, including papercuts, prints, and textiles, explores themes of Jewish identity, history, and culture. She has published seven books, including the pioneering 1973 text The Work of Our Hands: Jewish Needlecraft for Today. Her work is housed in the collections of numerous institutions, such as The Jewish Museum in New York City.

Mexican painter Aliza Nisenbaum participates in "When Home Won't Let You Stay: Migration Through Contemporary Art" exhibition

October 23, 2019

On October 23, 2019, Mexican artist Aliza Nisenbaum presented her paintings at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Massachusetts, as a part of an exhibition featuring more than twenty artists from around the world. It aimed to showcase the displacement of peoples through different artistic media such as painting, sculpture, and video. 

"An Unfinished Symphony," art piece by Judy Robkin

The Power of Visual Storytelling

Jen Richler

JWA chats with Barbara Rosenblit and Sheila Miller, the creators of Artful Disclosure, a program that honors the ordinary and extraordinary lives of Jewish women through visual storytelling. 

Dr. Estée Klar and her son Adam Wolfond

Q & A with Artist and Disability Advocate Dr. Estée Klar

Sarah Groustra

JWA chats with Dr. Estée Klar about collaborating with her son Adam Wolfond, a non-speaking autistic poet and artist, on a new video installation exhibit.

Eva Zeisel

Eva Zeisel’s modernist ceramic work achieved major fame and critical success and even made waves during her early career in the Soviet Union. Upon moving to the United States, Zeisel experimented with feminine silhouettes in her pottery and gained widespread success for her artistry and design work.

Dana Stirling Headshot Cropped

Q & A with Photographer Dana Stirling

Sarah Groustra

JWA talks with photographer Dana Stirling about her new book, Why Am I Sad, and about exploring depression through photography. 

Text reads "I sang then and my song was our sun." with an image of the sun.

Rivka Basman Ben-Hayim: Poetry as Spiritual Resistance

Margaret Lockman

Yet at the moment when her humanity was threatened the most, Basman Ben-Hayim turned to art.

2024 Highlights Photo Montage

Jewish Women Who Shaped 2024

JWA Staff

As 2024 draws to a close, the JWA team takes a moment to celebrate some of the incredible moments and achievements of Jewish women and gender-expansive people from the past year. Here are our picks for the standouts that inspired us, made us laugh, and reminded us of the power of resilience, community, and creativity.

Sarah Dolin and Menorah

Elevating Jewish Rituals With Clay

Shoshana McKinney Kirya-Ziraba

Every piece of Judaica Dolin creates is an expression of Jewish tradition and intention.

Topics: Crafts, Hanukkah, Ritual

Claude Cahun

Surrealist photographer Claude Cahun lived their life in a spirit of rebellion and defiance. From their precocious teenage years, defying conventional ideals of beauty and femininity with their shaven head and male attire, to their direct resistance of German occupying forces, they active worked against the suppression of liberty and freedom—a life of resistance. 

Collage of painted Stars of David

Finding Spirituality Through Art

Margaret Lockman

Religion and art are both about turning individual experiences into community ones.

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