arts & life

ar t

All My Paths Twist is a two-sided, six-foot-long folding screen.

“I Can Only Write
Of Myself”

Suzanne Chessler | Contributing Writer

Local artist

Lynne Avadenka is

inspired by the words

of an Israeli poet.

details

How a Poem Begins runs through
July 23 at Yeshiva University
Museum in New York. (212) 294-
8330; yumuseum.org.

L

ynne Avadenka has turned
a page — all together many
pages — in her artistry.
With a long resume dominated
by projects involving books
and bookmaking, she recently
expanded into installations for
an exhibit.
How a Poem Begins, on view
through July 23 at Yeshiva
University in New York, explores
the writing and times of Rahel
(Rahel Bluwstein), a pre-state
Israeli poet. The exhibit was
started in Israel with a grant
awarded by the Covenant

Foundation and completed in
Avadenka’s Huntington Woods
studio.
“Having a chance to work large
with multimedia and then be
seen in a museum has been won-
derful,” says Avadenka, 61, who
spent two weeks in Israel during
2014, laboring in the Gottesman
Etching Center at Kibbutz Cabri
along the western Galilee.
“Rahel grew up in Russia,
came to Israel, taught herself
Hebrew and wrote poetry in
Hebrew. I used disparate ele-
ments that come together to

Rahel Bluwstein

make a three-dimensional por-
trait of her.
“I have always been interested
in historical Jewish women
and their choices, particularly
women in the Bible. Looking
at an iconic woman in modern
times seemed an interesting
place to go.”
Avadenka, who designed 10
pieces for the display supple-
mented by researched archival
materials, kept in mind a line
from Rahel’s poetry — “I can
only write of myself ” — as she
persevered.

“I have always been interested
in historical Jewish women
and their choices, particularly
women in the Bible. Looking
at an iconic woman in modern
times seemed an interesting
place
to go.”

— Lynne Avadenka

ABOVE: Bound to My Life includes card catalogues and paintings
by Avadenka. THIS PHOTO: A portion of the exhibition gallery.

60 April 28 • 2016

“I think that’s basically what
all artists do,” Avadenka explains.
“Artists start with what they
know and hope audiences can
connect with that.”
Another poetry line — “bound
to my life by a thousand mysteri-
ous threads” — became the title
of one piece.
“The piece has card catalogues,
books and small paintings I
made,” Avadenka says. “Each card
catalogue displays pages from
an old book I took apart from a
series that Christian pilgrims put
together with dried flowers.