Eyes Wide Open: Tour Begins of Photographs Taken by Teen Artists at JCC Maccabi ArtsFest®
New York, NY February 18, 2009 —“I have discerned that the energy, enthusiasm, and idealism of youth, coupled with this generation’s ease in working with digital tools, can produce significant photographic expression.” So says professional photographer Lloyd Wolf. Now, young photographers who developed their skills in a workshop with Wolf at JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® last summer will be exhibiting their work at different JCCs, starting on February 25 at the New Orleans JCC http://jcca.org/eyes_wide_open.htm. New Orleans is one of the sites where the 2009 JCC Maccabi ArtsFest will take place.
After three weeks, the exhibit, which is called Eyes Wide Open: 31 Teen Photographers’ Bold Perspective on L’dor V’dor, will travel to the Sabes JCC in Minneapolis, and then on to the Houston JCC. More JCCs are hoping to host the exhibit as well, which will remain for three weeks at each location. JCCs interested in presenting the photo exhibit should contact Leona Strassberg Steiner, Leona@jcca.org.
In the summer of 2008, teenagers participating in ArtsFest traveled with Wolf to areas around Washington, D.C., Fairfax, Virginia, and Minneapolis, Minnesota and took photographs of adults and children in conjunction with the theme of L’dor v’dor, generation to generation. The experience was so successful that JCC Association, sponsor of JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, organized a traveling exhibition of 31 photographs. The black-and-white and color photographs were enlarged and framed and will travel to participating JCCs in a specially made crate.
The young artists found the project exhilarating. “I thought I loved photography, and knew all aspects of a camera, but I was totally wrong. Lloyd Wolf taught me not only a passion for photography, but so many amazing things I am still using today, even when I just take a picture with my friends,” said ArtsFest participant Courtney Brockman from Lincoln, Nebraska. Sarah Hoffman from Fairfax, Virginia, said, “ArtsFest pushed me to step outside myself and see the world through a whole new lens.” Both artists’ work are part of the exhibition.
According to Arlene Sorkin, continental director of JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, the traveling exhibit will allow a very large audience to view the work of talented teenagers. “Although hundreds of people attend the final talent showcase at JCC Maccabi ArtsFest in each host community,” Sorkin said, “this will give many more the opportunity to experience these amazing kids’ artistic gifts.”
Supported by the Legacy Heritage Fund, JCC Maccabi ArtsFest is an annual program that brings teens from 13 to 17 years of age together in different communities to engage in arts workshops with renowned artists-in-residence. At the end of five days, the teens take part in a gala performance/exhibition. Some of the many arts specialties are musical theater, visual arts, dance, vocal music, and photography. A full listing is available at www.jccmaccabiartsfest.com.
Wolf’s work has appeared in numerous publications, and he has published several books, including Facing the Wall, Jewish Mothers, and Jewish Fathers. He’s taught photography at George Mason University and the Arlington County Public Schools in Virginia.
A list of the photographers follows:
Michael Bekkerman, Morganville, NJ
Courtney Brockman, Lincoln, NE
Sarah Cancelarich, Hillsdale, NY
Chaim Yaacov Clein, St. Louis Park, MN
Benjamin Cross, Boca Raton, FL
Ilana Dell, West Bloomfield, MI
Ranana Dine, Silver Spring, MD
Rebecca Edelstein, West Long Branch, NJ
Alyssa Ezon, Deal Park, NJ
Aidel Gestetner, Fairfax, VA
Michael Greenberg, Longmeadow, MA
Alexandra Grudskaya, Moscow, Russia
Sarah Hoffman, Fairfax, VA
Lauren Katz, Florence, MA
Megan Kimmel, Cherry Hill, NJ
Claire Kramer, Richmond, VA
Ekaterina Krasner, Moscow, Russia
Zoe Kravitz, San Rafael, CA
Molly Norrbom, Arlington, VA
Amos Remer, New Orleans, LA
Eliana Ringer, Minnetonka, MN
Jonathan Shertok, Bayside, WI
Marissa Sonkin, San Rafael, CA
Alexis Spivak, Tampa, FL
Dina Stolstein, Staten Island, NY
Yelena Tregerman, Staten Island, NY
Elizabeth Washko, Wayzata, MN
Elianna Wasser, Ocean, NJ
Harris Weinstein, Philadelphia, PA
Maari Weiss, Arlington, VA
Rosie Zagha, Oakhurst, NJ
###
JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
520 8th Ave., NY, NY 10018
212-786-5092
fax: 212-481-4174
send an e-mail
Back to Press Releases |
Privacy policy | Contact
us | Home
|
