A

No

MIL

I

A mo mo

MIk

OUR COVER ARTIST

•

1p

atti Tapper's bold, vibrant
painting sets the tone for
this year's SourceBook. In
typical fashion, Patti uses bold
brushstrokes and familiar ob-
jects to draw viewers into her
beautiful work that meshes sym-
bolically with the theme of this
book: Detroit's legacy of Jewish giving.
The notion of tzedaka is suggested by the fanciful
chicken tzedaka box used by her own family. Mitzvot
are symbolized by the pomegranate and its 613 seeds;
learning is represented by the book of Pirkei Avot in
the foreground, rituals come into play with the
statuesque Shabbat candlesticks she and her husband
bought on their first trip to Israel; dor Nor or
generations are recalled by the framed photograph.
Combined with Patti's love of flowers that express her
passion for life, these symbols easily sum up the Jewish
values that characterize the "Honorable Menschen"
profiled within these pages.
Patti typically works in acrylic paint and caran d'ache
to create her distinctive works of art, which also include

handpainted furniture.
Art has always been an
integral part of her life; she
started painting at age 11 and
never stopped. Her formal
education includes a bachelor of
fine arts degree from Bowling
Green State University. Currently
she teaches at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.
An active member of the Birmingham Society of
Women Painters, she recently returned from a group
painting trip to France, where she was inspired by
Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny.
Patti's paintings are in private collections in
Michigan, Ohio and Florida. She's shown at numerous
galleries, including the Janice Charach Epstein Gallery,
Atrium Gallery, Gallery of Contemporary Crafts and
the Carol James Gallery. Her work is currently shown
at Sherwood Studios in West Bloomfield.
With her beloved garden of flowers as a
backdrop, Patti works out of a studio in her home
in Orchard Lake, where she lives with her husband,
Steven, and their children, Julia, Alex and Shayna.

Additional Acknowledgements...

S

pecial thanks go to many in the community
who graciously gave their time and expertise
to this edition of the SourceBook. My personal
thanks go to Rabbi Bunny Freedman, who chose
the English/Hebrew quotes describing the
various mitzvot typified by the "Honorable
Menschen" profiled here, and Heidi Christein,
head of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit Archives, for contributing dates and pho-
tographs to the historic timeline. Sincere appre-

JNSourceBook

ciation also goes to JN Publisher Arthur Horwitz
for supporting my idea from the get-go; Records
Administrator Beth Kahn, who painstakingly
built the listings so essential to the SourceBook;
Charles Krasner, Debbie Schultz and Sandra
Matthews of the JN Creative Services Depart-
ment for their support and creativity; and
Associate Editor Alan Hitsky for editing the mini-
profiles I wrote and for allowing me to steal his
very best freelance writers.
— K G. C.

1 7

