50 | NOVEMBER 3 • 2022 

T

wo shows fill the Janice 
Charach Gallery until Dec. 
7. 
Out of the Narrows, on the first floor, 
has some 35 images related to this 
year’s Detroit Jewish Book Fair in 
that it is based on contemporary 
artistic reactions to the Haggadah. 
It was produced by members of the 
Jewish Artists Collective Chicago. 
On the second floor, images 
and videos pay tribute to the 
mentors, in various artistic fields, 
of photographer Todd Weinstein, 
a graduate of Oak Park High 
School who went on to build a 
career in New York. The 
photographer, who traveled 
to other parts of the world 
to build his portfolio, is 
displaying Todd Weinstein 
Stories of Influence: In Search of 
One’s Own Voice.
“The idea for Out of the 
Narrows was that the seder 
is not really just the story 
of history from a long time ago,” 
said Beth Shadur, a contributor 
in the Narrows display who defines 
the artistry, placed separately in 
the gallery, as interpretations, not 
illustrations, of the text. 
“It’s the idea that you can be 
constricted by beliefs, but you 
can broaden your beliefs, broaden 
your inclusion so that the original 
Haggadah becomes a metaphor for 
so many things — social justice, 
freedom, taking care of people, 

taking care of the environment.” 
Shadur’s piece, called Cleave, 
relates to taking care of the 
environment and is associated with 
a series she painted about national 
parks. It shows glacial ice cleaving 
away from other ice as it falls away 
and melts. 
“When you look at this, it feels 
that you’re coming out of a narrow 
space into a wide-open space, which 
is what’s happening as the glaciers 
melt,” said Shadur, gallery director 
at Prairie State College in Chicago 
Heights and the person who 
establishes places for the exhibit to 
be shown.
Art has been at the center 
of Shadur’s lifelong career, 
and she has done numerous 
solo and group exhibits, 
including one at a Grosse 
Pointe gallery in 2003. Her 
schooling was at Brown 
University.
The exhibit has been seen 
at Jewish Community Centers in 
Indianapolis and Memphis and is 
going to the Dr. Bernard Heller 
Museum in New York City.
“This Haggadah was a collective, 
collaborative effort,” said Shadur, 
who mentioned Carol Neiger as 
doing the designs, Berit Engen as 
doing the text placement and Susan 
Dickman as doing the editing.
“Everyone is of equal importance 
in this group. Each person 
contributes something different, 

ARTS&LIFE
ART

Janice Charach Gallery features Out of the 
Narrows and Todd Weinstein Stories of 
Influence: In Search of One’s Own Voice.

Two Shows, 
 Many Artists

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Shadur’s 
Rhyolite 
Rainbow

Shadur’s
Violado

Beth 
Shadur’s
Cleave

Beth Shadur