Culture

Arts Galore–Nationwide Listings from National Foundation for Jewish Culture

crossposted to JVoices
I know some folks don’t like the event listings, but this is the ARTS!!! and I often hear the desire for more, more, more beyond NY, so in that spirit, I thought I’d share with folks a number of fabulous arts listings I got sent this week from The National Foundation for Jewish Culture.
You can see the full list online, and below I’ll highlight a few, particularly one that caught my eye which was The Jewish Identity Project: New American Photography which will be at The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, CA from October 22, 2006 – February 25, 2007. “Featuring works by thirteen emerging and mid-career artists that challenge familiar stereotypes in ten newly commissioned photographic, video and multimedia projects that explore the heterogeneity of contemporary American society through the lens of Jewish identity.”
And here’s more:

Encounter Point Filmmakers at Chicago Screenings
November 3-9, 2006
Chicago, IL
2005 Film Fund recipient Encounter Point will be playing several times daily at the Regal Lincolnshire 20 Cinemas just outside Chicago. 300 Parkway Dr Lincolnshire, IL (847) 229-9100
http://www.regalcinemas.com. Director Ronit Avni will attend the November 7th and November 9th screenings. Film subjects Ali Abu Awwad and Robi Damelin will attend on November 9th.
The Action Against Sol Schumann at the Minnesota Jewish Theatre Company
October 21, 2006 – November 12, 2006
St. Paul, MN
It’s 1985. Over 40 years have passed since World War II and the Holocaust. Sol Schumann, a devout American Jew, a concentration camp survivor, and beloved father, is accused of being a Kapo. The government’s investigation leads us through a maze of moral, philosophical, and legal issues that will have you thinking and talking long after the conclusion of the performance.
Libeskind Expansion to the Denver Art Museum
Opened October 7, 2006
Denver, CO
Reviewed in the New York Times Architectural Review
Photo Credit: Steve Crecelius/Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau

The San Diego Jewish Film Festival is seeking films of Jewish Content!

Student or Emerging filmmakers contact [email protected].

More from me in the coming weeks about the arts–they are indeed my heart.

2 thoughts on “Arts Galore–Nationwide Listings from National Foundation for Jewish Culture

  1. The Foundation for Jewish Culture is a great grant-making organization, except they don’t fund the work of college students if it is in any way affiliated with their college. So they clearly don’t respect the work of young artisit. And that’s lame. But they still fund lots of other good things.

  2. Actually, NFJC funds far too little in the way of the arts, and tends to be all over the map in what it supports. Yes, we’ve heard, they funded Encounter Point. But The Regal 20 in Lincolnshire? Not just outside Chicago, but an hour outside the city in non-rush hour traffic. My folks live down the street.
    This “listing” is really just so limited. And so “high-brow.” I also got the listing, but its the only thing I’ve heard about the event, which leads me to believe its really a solicitation event. That’s fine, but the question comes back to, what exactly is being funded? More fundraising, or advocacy and programming?
    If Six Points is the new direction, great, but then that agenda should get some more attention. Facilitating and supporting Jewish Culture for the other 5 Million Jews in the US means more than an email listing to NFJC’s contributors. And if NJFC is going to list arts events, it should create a listing device that can be tagged, segmented and emails or fed by region or disciple for the public. A central press outlet for Jewish arts events isn’t what’s needed for us, though.
    Rather, NFJC should follow up on the Advocacy and Research on Cultural Events that led to UJA-FED NY funding 6 Points. There should be ongoing regional advocacy to support young adult cultural outlets, helping them develop by working in conjunction with local board members and Federations to create local donor base/ giving circles that increase NFJC’s profile in the process. I’m biased as I’d stand to benefit, but so would Jewish Culture in general and all of us.
    The Big Jewish Museums dominating the listing seem to do okay in getting people to their events. The future of Jewish culture is a concern, though, and so too are the young adult audience to which it so greatly appeals and holds it as meaningful. If BJM’s and JCC’s (OJC) aren’t attracting this audience to their cultural offerings but indie, d.i.y. efforts are, NFJC goals might be best acheived preaching a bit of its own gospel, doncha think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.