Art Gallery Serves as ‘Platform for Jewish Education’
Leah Koontz, an art student at Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, has met some of her closest friends thanks to Rabbi Daniel Grodnitzky and the Chabad House for Students of the Arts.
The young rabbi and his wife, Reuvena Leah, run an unusual program called “The Kugel Collaborative,” which brings together Jewish students—artists, musicians, poets—from art schools throughout the Philadelphia area.
The Chabad House, part of the Chabad on Campus International Foundation, runs an art gallery in commercial space in the heart of the city, exclusively for Jewish students from local arts and music colleges. Philadelphia is home to at least six major secondary-education arts colleges, including the oldest one in the country, the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, founded in 1805.
Koontz, 21, has been showing her work at the gallery for about two years.
“Getting involved was easy,” she said. “It’s a close group, and we do a lot of things together. It was a big help in meeting other Jewish students,” she added, including some of her closest friends. They talk about different art concepts and how they relate to being Jewish.
“As a Jew, even if that’s not the inspiration for the work, it’s so much a part of who you are, your values,” she explained. “The art is coming from you.”
Some of the artwork shown at the gallery incorporates Jewish themes, but not always.
The first non-themed show took place on Nov. 24, meaning it wasn’t tied to any particular holiday. Each piece included a Jewish quote gathered by the rabbi from Biblical and Chassidic sources, connecting the piece to Judaism and spirituality. About 30 people filed into the gallery on one of the coldest days of the year so far, and right before the start of Chanukah and Thanksgiving.
“It’s a platform for Jewish education,” said Grodnitzky. “It’s an art exhibition, but it also leads to an informal class with questions and answers.”
Both art and religion can be abstract concepts that are difficult to discuss in a casual way. The exhibit offered attendees and students a way to open up and talk about it, Grodnitzky said, and “a great way to facilitate learning.”
‘A Second Home’
“It’s an opportunity to be involved with artists who share a similar background and understand how Judaism affects the artwork you create,” said Mara Moranz, a student at the University of the Arts, also in Philadelphia.
The Kugel Collaborative hosts two shows per semester and one during the summer. In addition to exhibiting student work, the space is used for Shabbat meals, classes, events and High Holiday services. This is their fourth year in the city.
A source of inspiration for all this is Rabbi Menachem Schmidt, who started the Old City Jewish Art Center, also in Philadelphia proper, about seven years ago. He had noticed young and creative types flocking downtown on Friday nights to hang out in art galleries, but there really wasn’t anything particularly Jewish-oriented. “First Fridays” at his center incorporates the work of local artists, along with Shabbat dinner and prayers; as many as 150 people have attended in the past. Schmidt is also the co-director of Lubavitch House of Philadelphia with his wife, Chava, and rabbi of Chabad at Vilna Congregation.
Grodnitzky’s program is unique in that it is exclusively geared for students. It gives them experience hanging and selling their art, he explained, and more importantly, it shows how art can connect them to their Jewish identity.
“It has reinvented what a synagogue and gallery are,” said Koontz. “It’s like a second home and community center. [It] has elevated my understanding of the arts and the concepts, which are explored artistically and academically under its roof.”
Jason Druss, a student at Uarts/Art Institute, agreed. “As a young Jewish artist, it is very difficult to find time in the fast-paced world of school and freelancing that allows me to connect with my religion,” he said. “Chabad really helped connect me back to my roots and resurge my love for Judaism.”
