The Museum of Imajewnation Announces Plans for Passover Freedom Exhibit

‘Freedom Imagined, Freedom Lived: An Artistic Review of the Passover Promise’ to open March 13 at JCC Arts and Education Building

St. Louis, Mo. – February 26, 2013 – Artists, musicians and poets from around the world will explore their personal vision of freedom in a new Museum of Imajewnation exhibit, Freedom Imagined, Freedom Lived: An Artistic Review of the Passover Promise, opening Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at the Marvin & Harlene Wool Studio Theatre at the JCC Arts and Education Building, located at 2 Millstone Campus Drive in Creve Coeur.

The exhibit will be the fifth in a series of inquiries sponsored by the Museum of Imajewnation, which strives to engage people’s imagination and encourage interaction with Jewish culture, including its ritual objects and customs, texts and stories, history and legends, and chants and music. The premise of the ongoing project is that the artist and artwork are in inextricably bound together and that the making of art can release the wisdom of the culture’s artfacts, texts, and music in addressing contemporary concerns.

“We challenged artists to convey their interpretations of freedom within the lens of the Passover seder experience,” said Naomi Fishman, founder and exhibit curator for The Museum of Imajewnation. “Our exhibit will illustrate various definitions and experiences of freedom that shed light on the warring struggles for freedom taking place everyday around the world.”

The exhibit will feature works in paint, digital art, sculpture, illustration, glass and metal of artists from Missouri, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Oregon, as well as Holland, Germany, Israel, and the United Kingdom. Works from noted artists including Tobi Kahn of New York, Michael Bogdanow of Boston, and Rachel Miller of St. Louis, among others, will be featured.

The Jewish calendar carves out one week each year for conversations about oppression and freedom. The experience of Israelite slavery in Egypt, recounted each year on Passover, helped forge the identity and sensibilities of Jewish people and instilled a passion for justice and reverence for life.

The Haggadah, which serves as the foundational script for the Passover seder, invites improvisations around 15 actions, using words, ritual objects, songs, insights and knowledge to create this year’s story of liberation from slavery.

“Celebrating Passover is always a work in progress,” Fishman explained. “The role of art is pivotal in moving this multifaceted conversation about Passover forward and making its story more accessible.”

The exhibit will run through March 28, 2013. Hours will be 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m and 6:00-7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on Sunday. The exhibit will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, March 26-27 in observance of Passover. Admission is free.

The Museum of Imajewnation will also host several key events within the exhibit space:

  • Wednesday, March 13, 7:00-8:30p.m.: Tasting the Experience.  Mapping the freedom journey with wine.
  • Thursday, March 14, 1:30-3:00p.m.: Nancy Berg, professor of Hebrew language and literature at Washington University in St. Louis, will review the novel “The Miracle Hater” by Shulamit Hareven as a point of reference for the exhibit.  This event is held in conjunction with the Brodsky Library.
  • Sunday, March 17, 2:00-4:00p.m.: A concert in story, poetry, music and comedy with Rabbi James Goodman, Andy Curry, and surprise guests.

Look for Museum of Imajewnation at Nishmah Expo on March 12th from 5:30-7:00p.m.

“Our objective is to present this exhibit as a pilot project for a larger multicultural exhibit of visions of freedom, representing the aspirations for freedom of people from different countries, religions, and families,” Fishman said.  “Artists have the ability to engage the community in the thoughtful conversation about freedom and its boundaries.”

Group tours of the exhibit will be available by appointment. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Naomi Fishman at 314-477-5772 or naomi.fishman@imajewnation.org. Images from the exhibit will be available upon request.

For more information, visit www.imajewnation.org.