The Power of Civil Society: The Fate of Jews in Bulgaria

This September, the Rubin-Frankel Gallery is honored to host The Power of Civil Society: the Fate of Jews in Bulgaria During the Holocaust 1940-1944, a new exhibit of historical significance that tells the story of how Bulgaria was able to save almost all of its Jewish citizens during World War II. The exhibit will be on display from September 1 to October 15, with a special Gallery Reception and Talk on Thursday, September 27.  

The Power of Civil Society depicts events that, due to social pressure at the time, have only recently surfaced. When Germany ordered Bulgaria to surrender its Jews, a great outcry emerged from the Bulgarian people, and the country ultimately refused Germany’s demands. Because of the Bulgarian people’s heroism, most of the country’s 50,000 Jews were spared death in Nazi concentration camps.

Anyone in New York, NY ??

Here's some inspiration we can bring back to BU. In the 1890's he was a member of a Parisian group of avant-garde artists known as the Nabis ("prophets" in Hebrew).

Edouard Vuillard: A Painter and His Muses, 1890-1940
May 04, 2012 - September 23, 2012

at The Jewish Museum
1109 5th Ave at 92nd St
New York, NY

see link:

http://www.thejewishmuseum.org/exhibitions/vuillard

SCA on the Road!

Throughout the summer, SCA members will be contemplating new exhibit ideas from inspiring installations all over the map. Stay posted for pictures and thoughts on exhibits we can bring to the Rubin-Frankel Gallery for school years to come.

Reflections by the SCA

Hannah Franke, Rubin-Frankel Gallery Intern:

"The Reception was filled with eager and interested viewers who really spent time with each piece.  Each viewer seemed caught up in personal reflection, pondering both the historical events that inspired this collection as well as the pieces themselves.  The crowd, though small truly appreciated the exhibition, and we welcomed many newcomers to the Rubin-Frankel Gallery, which is extremely exciting and we hope to continue to build our dedicated group of followers."

Kim Curhan, Publicity Director:

"When I arrived to the Opening Reception, the audience seemed very focused on the images and their own thoughts about the events the images illustrated. It was a hushed atmosphere, but the beauty of the images and chamber music was very inviting. I was drawn into the lithographs and the way the layout created a conversation with the viewer."

Danielle Rives, Installation, Publicity:

Installation:
David Wander’s Holocaust Haggadah, a series of lithograph prints, tells the story of the traditional Passover. As a narrative, order means everything; from the installation stage to the viewer’s experience, the ultimate purpose of the exhibition was to communicate the artworks’ story. Myself and two other SCA members worked to bring the pages of the story alive on the walls of the Rubin Frankel Gallery by forming a dynamic, fluid arrangement of frames while preserving legibility. Viewers were to begin at the right, and read from right to left, top to bottom. Since we were unable to read the text ourselves, this proved to be quite the experience! We found ourselves becoming increasingly grateful for the corresponding imagery, using them to map from frame to frame. Holland and I made some final revisions, paying attention to what I had assumed one would consider for installation in the first place: visual communication between images, balance, and so on. Although we laid occasional upside-down or misplaced prints here and there during the planning stage, the overall arrangement, I think, held true to both the story and the aesthetic purpose of the series.

Opening Reception: 

In contrast with the opening reception of the Rubin-Frankel’s latest show, a student exhibition titled Metaphorical Body, The Wolloch Haggadah’s thoughtful audience upheld a steady energy throughout the evening, many coming and staying for the remainder of the event. Guests seemed to take a look, chat, eat and drink, enjoy the ambiance of the string quartet, and then take another look to delve even deeper into the images and narrative, often visiting and revisiting the prints. Artists, scholars, and members of the Jewish culture alike could identify with the exhibit, whether they had been familiar with the Passover story or not. Visual translation, as well as appreciation for such a labor-intensive artistic process creates accessibility in a way that transcends language or cultural barriers. Many guests that I spoke to were moved by the images, whether or not they were of the Jewish faith, and greatly enjoyed the contemplative experience of interpreting and reading the story in their own way.

"The Wolloch Haggadah" Opening Reception

Here are pictures from the Opening Reception of the deeply poignant Wolloch Haggadah exhibition. Creating the event was highly collaborative within the committee. The layout/installation was done by Gabrielle Peck, Danielle Rives, and Hannah Franke. The text was written by Jon Talit and the gallery director, Holland Deringer. Many Boston University students enjoyed the exhibit, as well as others outside of the BU community. It was a touching atmosphere with conversation and beautiful live chamber music.

"The Wolloch Haggadah" Postcard

The postcard for the exhibit that was designed by SCA graphic design leaders Rebecca Ness and Brittany Martin:

Lead by Kim Curhan, the SCA publicity group, also with Rebecca Ness, Brittany Martin, Hannah Franke, and Shannon Chapman, distributed these postcards throughout Boston University and other locations around Boston.

"The Wolloch Haggadah" E-Card

As a friendly reminder, the opening reception for the exhibit The Wolloch Haggadah: Lithographs of a Modern Day Exodus is Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3, 2012 from 6-8 pm.  Please join us for hors d'oeuvres, wines, and live chamber music. Please feel free to invite your friends through our Facebook event page: Wolloch Haggadah.  The Wolloch Haggadah Lithographs of a Modern Day Exodus   April 3 - June 29, 2012 "Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption."               -David Wander The Haggadah is a collected work of blessings, prayers, and excerpts traditionally read on the Passover holiday.  Commissioned by the Wolloch family, The Wolloch Haggadah is a compilation of 36 hand-printed original lithographs signed by the artists, illustrator David Wander and calligrapher Yonah Weinreb. These images, taken out of the traditional book format, link the ancient redemption from Egypt to the Holocaust, and honor memories of those who perished during World War II. The exhibit will be open during Passover and on the day of remembrance of the Holocaust, Yom Ha'Shoa.  The deeply expressive images illustrate the relatively recent calamity of the Holocaust, juxtaposing the original texts of the Haggadah that articulate Israel's prior enslavement.  Previously, The Wolloch Haggadah collection was featured at Duke University and by New York Times. The collection honors the remembrance of past hardships and evokes thoughts of a hopeful and just future. About the Haggadah, Richard McBee describes it as "...a tale of transformations shown through a visual translation of the traditional text.  Just as the bread of affliction becomes the matzah of freedom, so too, in his images, the tattered yellow star, a badge of shame, becomes the Israeli flag of pride.  All of our treasured sons become treasured books.  And just as our imperative to remember our Egyptian bondage and the eventual redemption, so too we must remember the horrors and degradation of the Holocaust and see in the creation of the state of Israel its redemption.   It is therefore entirely fitting that the title page of the Holocaust Haggadah contains this quotation from the Baal Shem Tov: 'Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption.'"  Event sponsored by Boston University's Jewish Cultural Endowment and Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston. Opening Reception Tuesday, April 3, 2012 6 - 8 pm    Join us for for hors d'oeuvres, wine, and live chamber music.  Free and open to the public. The Rubin-Frankel Gallery The Florence & Chafetz Hillel House at Boston University  213 Bay State Road |Boston, MA 02215  rubinfrankelgallery@gmail.com 617-353-7634 |www.bu.edu/hillel/gallery Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @rfgallery  About Us The Rubin-Frankel Gallery is located at 213 Bay State Road, on the second floor of the Florence and Chafetz Hillel House at Boston University. A non-profit educational gallery, the Rubin-Frankel features 4-6 fine arts exhibitions every year addressing a wide variety of content that speaks to enriching our community's social, cultural, educational, religious and political lives. The Rubin-Frankel Gallery was built through funding made possible by arts philanthropist Felicia Rubin and is maintained solely through a series of grants and the support of private donors.