"Inquire, please of the ancient era, of what the ancestors understood in their quest..."Job 8:8
Born in Chicago and currently living in the beautiful Berkshire Hills of Massachussets, I have been a visual artist/crafts-woman for over thirty-years. I returned to Judaism, a 'ba'al teshuvah', through the act of co-creating art in the world to reflect G-d's oneness.
My one-of-a-kind, weaving/mixed-media assemblages are deeply rooted in the power of Judaism, nature & the sacred responses of the spirit. They are my way of praising G-d and reconnecting to an ancient tradition which hallows and sanctifies life and creation. As I stand quietly in my studio, images flow through me, the "Shefra (Heb.)" experience; or the artworks seem to come from beneath the sand as I wander in the desert, the "HadMidbar (Heb.)" experience. As I seek to bring the images forth, they are connected to my committment to the earth, peace, ritual and healing. .
I incorporate Hebrew lettering from Psalms,Torah, blessings and prayers to illuminate my artworks, using archivally tested materials that are strong, luminous and extremely durable.
My studies were at the Art Institute of Chicago and with Rabbis Zalman Schacter-Shalomi, Arnold Wolf, Alan Berg, Debra Zecher, Everett Gendler, Gershon Winkler and the Kabbalah Centre. My art work is representd in gallery, museum, corporate, organization, synagogue, and private collections in the U.S.A. and Israel. I am a frequent lecturer and workshop leader on Jewish art as an ancient and contemporary source of spiritual identity, renewal and healing. My series, "V'I'mo-tei-nu (And Our Mothers)" has traveled extensively thoughout the U.S.A. and my seminal work "Women at the Wall : A Call for Peace" was featured at the United Nations exhibit, "Miracles of Peace" in 2007 and again in 2009, for my series, "VESSELS OF LIGHT: VESSELS OF HEALING..." . I am a member of The American Guild of Judaic Artists; Chairperson of the Advisory Board Art Committee of Hadassah-Brandeis Women's Research Institute at Brandeis University; board member of The Women's Interfaith Institute of the Berkshires; Seeds of Peace, and am included in the archives of The National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. . I was a featured artist in the ABC-TV special "Embracing Judaism: Looking In, Looking Up, Looking Out"; and am included in 'Who's Who of American Women', 2000-2011.
In addition to my new exhibit series,"SHATTERING OF THE VESSELS, GATHERING OF THE SPARKS", I create "VESSELS OF LIGHT", that celebrate Jewish life cycle events for Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Jews returning to their tradition, birthdays, engagements, weddings, anniversaries, new homes, and rabbinic, donor, healing, and dedication plaques of honor and remembrance.My intention is that my artworks will be a visual pathway of connection and spiritual renewal.
In joy and l'shalom, peace,
Wendy A. Rabinowitz
www.LIVINGTHREADSJUDAICA1.citymax.com
405 East New Lenox Road, Pittsfield, MA 01201
United States of America
413.281.2399
`````````````
POEM
THE WANDERER'S RETURN
by Wendy A. Rabinowitz
Awakened from my present to my past,
I blithely grab the plumb-line of my soul,
and shimmy down to hallowed desert sand,
and hear the ancient wailing call:
"Shema Yisrael, Adonai/Yah Eloheinu,
Adonai/Yah Elhad"*
And landing, tumble back upon myself,
the parched and wandering Jew,
weaving black letters upon white, sacred cloth,
standing silently renewed...
Then robed, in times remembrance shawl,
I scale the golden cord, hand over hand,
and heave my singing body toward the light,
to wear the holy garment, loosely bound...
* "Hear/Listen, Yisrael, all of us who struggle,
G-d , our G-d is One, G-d, our G-d is one with us..."
Note: Hebrew and English quotes used within the artwork-Text by Marcia Falk, from The Book of Blessings, New Jewish Prayers for Daily Life, the Sabbath, and the New Moon Festival, copyright (c) 1996 Marcia Lee Falk. Used by generous permission of the author.
