Comment by Andrea RC Kasper on December 29, 2010 at 8:37am

Hi,

i thought i would begin by introducing myself. My hopes is that we can create a community of artists here who can come together as professionals for possible collaborations, but also to think about the role or lack there of, of the arts in the Jewish community and in Jewish education. In my experience, pursuing a career in the arts is not widely encouraged, least of all in contemporary dance, my field.

 

Can we, as Jewish artists, mobilize and make a change?

Comment by Andrea RC Kasper on December 29, 2010 at 8:41am

see the working paper at JESNA on this topic

http://www.jesna.org/jesna-publications/cat_view/41-jesna-publicati...

Comment by Adrian A. Durlester on December 29, 2010 at 12:28pm

The arts are not co-curricular or extra-curricular. They are core curricula. The LK report makes this clear. Here is the challenge I throw out to my fellow artists: are we willing to let go a little bit and empower teachers to be artists? If arts in education is the sole province of specialists, we're not likely to achieve anything near what we desire in terms of arts being part of core teaching. We need to share our skills and secrets with teachers and give them the tools and comfort to include the arts in their teaching-regardless of our or their own feelings about their artistic abilities. Not that I want to put any of us out of work...

Comment by Andrea RC Kasper on December 30, 2010 at 4:27am

I think we would be willing to empower teachers to feel comfortable with art...and that is an important step.  Most of the Jewish artists I know are not in education or Jewish education for that matter but I would like to see them represented there, to make it clear that being an artists is a VERY real option for Jewish children.  I think there is a very real and very important value is surrounding children with art and with artists who are making art.

 

how do we do this? Do we organize as artists, a guild so to speak? Offer our services not only to schools but to students? How?

Comment by Andrea RC Kasper on March 30, 2011 at 7:16am

take a look at this, I think it is exciting and brilliant on many levels...nothing doing in the US yet....

http://bit.ly/fTMG8C

Comment by Julie Schwartz Wohl on March 30, 2011 at 10:59am

First, Andrea, the Jewish Salons is a BRILLIANT concept--thank you for sharing!  I think as artists and Jewish educators, if we want to see art based activities in Jewish schools, we need to teach the teachers---just as they need professional development in other areas, giving them the chance to play with techniques and explore ideas that are accessible and doable even if they are not themselves artists. Part of the work is in convincing other Jewish educators that the arts are an essential practice that allow for the transmission of knowledge while also allowing for the transformation of spirit---and then giving them tools, ideas, ways to do this in the classroom or other learning environments. 

Comment by Andrea RC Kasper on March 30, 2011 at 12:00pm

I agree Julie, but I wonder if our problem runs deeper....does the Jewish community truly value art and artists?  Is it as viable and respectable path for our children?  I think it would be beneficial if Jewish artists were more visible and more visibly dealing with Judaism, then students and educators alike will see that we are out there, that there is a strong intersection between the two.

Comment by deborah brodie on March 30, 2011 at 12:18pm

i can tell you first hand - jewish artists are NOT valued by the jewish community - especially the AMERICAN jewish artist.  and art is considered an 'extra' -- most art programs have been canceled because it isn't necessary.  and it is thought that after the primary grades, art isn't necessary.  WRONG!

Comment by Julie Schwartz Wohl on March 30, 2011 at 2:11pm

I'm not entirely convinced that Jewish artists are not valued by the Jewish community---I agree that art is often considered "extra" in typical synagogue school curricula  but generally because educators and community members do not know how to integrate it, and there is a significant time crunch.  If curricular goals are met through the arts, I find that the arts are embraced.  However, when the arts (or any experiential activity) is taken on as an end unto itself, parents and community members may be right to question--what are my children learning here?  what choices have been made in order to find the time to do this and what other curricular goals have been displaced by this work? (the answer may be, this was an important process, an end unto itself that allows students a spiritual creative connection, and that is enough--or, it may be that the use of the time was not well spent). we do need to be critical of all the choices we make in our programs--incorporating the arts as a rich way to explore our texts, our stories, our values, etc. , but looking at them as a true piece of the whole). As to your question, are Jewish artists valued as productive members of society?  How do we determine that? Are teachers valued as productive members of society?  As a teacher (and an artist), I suppose I must find value and meaning in my own work, because typical signs of communal validation--money, status, etc., are not always forthcoming.  But I certainly feel communal appreciation for what I do--people interested in my work, students who are engaged in their learning because of the artistic/creative component, and communal joy that comes out of feeling connected to a lasting piece of art. 

Comment by Julie Schwartz Wohl on March 30, 2011 at 2:17pm

sorry to jump in again---but Andrea, I think you are right that we need to be more visible---as artists working/struggling/playing with Jewish ideas.  Have you thought about what type of forum that might be? it seems to me that on the one hand the web allows us more visibility than ever before, but on the other hand, without a guiding organization, or group, it is hard for people to navigate the endless amount of information and ideas.  How can Jewish artists unite to become more visible? 

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