JN
ntertatrime
Peaceful Sculptor
Henry Friedman expresses his feelings
about the Holocaust through art.
POTTERY ♦ PAINTINGS ♦ JEWELRY ♦ FURNITURE
UNIQUE ACCESSORIES FOR THE HOME
FRANK PROVENZANO SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
32800 FRANKLIN ROAD ♦ FRANKLIN,MI 48025
I
nstead of heading to his base-
ment studio to work on his lat-
est sculpture, Henry Friedman
will spend his Chanukah with
his grandchildren, much of the
time playing with a wooden drei-
del. When the world is at peace,
Friedman's work as a sculptor
isn't required.
Unfortunately, Friedman says
he needs about another two thou-
sand years to complete his work.
War and hatred are more corn-
TUESDAY - FRIDAY 10 A.M. - 5 P.M.
SATURDAY: 11 A.M. - 5 P.M.
METRO FRAME Inc,
Quality Custom Picture Framing& Designs
Show, which runs through Jan-
uary 20.
"The work is outspoken and
honest," said Jo Bristah, who as-
sists her husband, James, in over-
seeing the gallery and
administering a peace-education
outreach program. The gallery,
located a block east of Woodward
in Grand Circus Park, is one of
the few spaces dedicated to works
of art that reflect the theme of
peace.
with diplomas 10 miles long?" he
asked.
Art schools can offer guidance
on technique, but only experience
can direct the distance from a
sculptor's soul to his hands. In the
reflective stage of his life, sculpt-
ing is a necessary catharsis for
Friedman, who often weeps as he
forges metal into an assemblage
of Jewish and Holocaust symbols.
"I sculpt because I want to
leave something after me," he
CC
r
71
We carry a large I
selection of Fine Art
I COMPLETE CUSTOM I and prints including I
I PICTURE FRAMING I Picasso and many I
LW/Coupon. Expires 1/12/96i more known artists.
' 20%
1
4
2 Blocks
North of
Lincoln
26045
Coolidge
a)
0
N
Lours: Mon-Fri 10-6:30 p.m.
NNE
OFF ; .
Call
0
0
810-398-4351 I
Lincoln
NEIN -
Saturday 11-4 p.m.
IMMO
mum
N
■
rhe )Vind Up
7
.
'(of
Freud
wile
111 him up and -wind
alDWill
ow
memory lane.
I
■
■
.
.
■
■
■
1
7 reud plays the song "Memories"
•
THE
sill
," v
- .
.
s 26.CX)
..,
..,,,?,.
.
,,,,
.
■
■
•
4400461*4
:0-
■
■
■
q 'i l. 411 :11
29203 Northwestern Hwy. • Southfield
(810) 356-5454
1
s
■
The Bright Idea:
Give a Gift Subscription
THE JEWISH NEWS
mon than peace
and understanding.
But Friedman, an
Oak Park resident,
would like to
change that. And in
his humble way,
he's been making
statements with his
sculptures for the
many people who
didn't live long
enough to be liber-
ated from the Nazi
extermination
camps as he was.
His voice might be
soft, but it resonates with indig-
nation.
Friedman's "Thou Shall Not
Kill" sculpture, made from bul-
lets, gun stocks and barrels,
was awarded top honor in
the Swords Into Plowshares
Peace Center and Gallery's Fifth
Annual Multi-Media Art
Above:
Henry Friedman's
metal sculpture
"Thou Shalt Not Kill"
took First Prize in
Transforming
Visions '95.
Left:
Henry Friedman
spends his days
educating about the
Holocaust.
"Every artist has his own way
to express his feelings toward
peace," said Friedman. "I take ar-
maments that can destroy people
to show that we don't have to kill
ourselves. For what?"
Ironically, Friedman doesn't
consider himself an artist. "How
can I compete with the guys in art
said. "As a survivor, I must show
that the Holocaust happened. I
want to stop hatred."
"Thou Shall Not Kill" took a
year and a half to complete. The
armaments were collected from
gun shows, flea markets and gun
shops. The work is divided into
three chapters: the weapons of
war, the destruction of the Nazi
swastika, and the redemptive
power of Judaism. And there are
plenty of subliminal and striking
messages in his winning sculp-
ture: names of death camps, the
Star of David and a crucifix, a ri-
fle transformed into a peace sign.
Although Friedman, 71, enters
two or three art shows a year, he's
not in a hurry to sell any of his
work. His collection of three dozen
sculptures is kept in his base-
ment. The work is divided into
pieces inspired by stories from the
Torah and sculptures wrought
from the agnnizina reenllertinnc