Michigan, will be showing a series of small
dioramas made from recycled materials. Pieces
from early-20th-century sepia photos have been
cut and repositioned.
“I wanted to show connections among people
— subjects and viewers,” says Franklin, who has
pursued art projects while living on a kibbutz
and while serving as a paratrooper in the Israel
Defense Forces. “People in the photos look like
immigrants, and they imbue feelings of what
individual immigrants call the ‘old country.’”
Ellen Holtzblatt, who studied at the Art
Institute of Chicago and has shown her work
at the Jerusalem Biennale and the Museum of
Biblical Art in New York among other presti-
gious venues, has submitted two painting proj-
ects presented in parts — the triptych There’s
Nothing So Whole as a Broken Heart and the
four-view Storm.
“I have an interest in landscape paintings
— how landscapes reflect my internal self
and how [appearance] can be fleeting,” says
Holtzblatt, who works with oil paints on linen
and paper to relate images sometimes suggest-
ed through religious readings. “I work in parts
to show how nature is always evolving.”
Holtzblatt, who has attended artist retreats
at the Ox-Bow School of the Arts in Saugatuck,
believes her Jewish perspectives permeate her
identity and creative approaches.
Amy Reichert, an artist and architect who
received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from
Yale, is showing a Carrera marble memorial
candleholder.
“I decided to work on this Judaica project
because memorial candleholders are among the
most under-designed ritual objects,” Reichert
says. “Since each candleholder is part of such
an important ritual, I thought it needed more
poetic attention.”
Although Reichert’s design does not show the
actual candlelight, it does convey a reflection
through a gold leaf segment. Oval shapes recall
pebbles placed by mourners on gravestones.
“The design comes from a desire to express
traditional values in modern forms,” says
Reichert, whose work is on display at the
Jewish Museum in New York, Jewish Museum

TOP: Stainless-steel sculpture by Melanie Dankowicz and Diaspora by Carol Neiger.
ABOVE: Jonathan Franklin creates Family Jewel Boxes by cutting and appropriating
discarded vintage photos. An abstract painting by Prudence Bernstein.

in Vienna and Contemporary Jewish Museum in
San Francisco. She also has created installations
and furnishings for synagogues around the coun-
try and teaches at the School of the Art Institute
of Chicago.
“What We Carry” opens with a reception on
Sunday afternoon, June 3, when a companion
exhibit, “Prudence Bernstein: A Retrospective,”
also opens to celebrate the work of the late local
artist. Bernstein, who specialized in colorful
abstract paintings and participated in dozens of
solo and group exhibitions, will be further hon-
ored with a silent auction that presents selections
from a curated collection of her projects.
Among the collective members showing their
work in the exhibit is Gabriella Boros, who
earned her bachelor’s degree from the University
of Michigan and has been spotlighted by the
Charach Gallery in the 1990s. She will be intro-
ducing woodblock prints.
Six other artists and their approaches add
perspective to the theme: Sylvia Ramos Alotta,
handmade book and mixed media; Melanie
Dankowicz, stainless steel sculpture; Susan
Dickman, encaustic on board; Berit Engen, min-
iature tapestry woven with Scandinavian linen
yarn; Carol Neiger, oil and gold leaf on canvas
and monoprints; and Dimitri Pavlotsky, oil on
board.
“The exhibit is self-curated by the artists,”
Joseph says. “I framed the theme and statement
for the exhibit with the help of Ellen Holtzblatt
and asked the artists to respond to that. Each
artist is allotted 15 feet of space. The number of
pieces depends on that space and what is being
shown.
“The artists help each other, support each
other and like each other. We are strongly think-
ing of opening the collective to others, but we
want to make sure we are settled into what works
and what doesn’t. We’re thinking about holding
a juried exhibition and then considering some of
the people for membership.
“I invite Michigan Jewish artists to contact me
if they’re interested in starting a similar collec-
tive,” Joseph says. “One way to support and nur-
ture Jewish civilization is through art.” •

details

“What We Carry” and “Prudence Bernstein: A Retrospective” will run June 3-July 12 at the Janice Charach Gallery at the Jewish Community Center. The free opening reception is scheduled
1-4 p.m. Sunday, June 3. Art historian Wendy Evans will present a lecture on Jewish art at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 12, and will feature the work of many of the artists in “What We Carry.”
(248) 432-5579; charachgallery.org. Judith Joseph can be reached at judithstudio@gmail.com.

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May 31 • 2018

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