A Laboratory Lookback

The Jewish Artists' Laboratory came into being in 2012, so 2022 seemed like an appropriate time for a retrospective. Eight of those years involved an exploration of and an exhibition on a specific theme. We each had the difficult task of identifying the work we felt best expressed our time in the lab.  

We also had a change of leadership as Robyn Awend moved out of her role as Twin Cities Cultural Arts Director for the Minnesota JCC. Among her many responsibilities was ushering the lab into being and managing it through its many iterations.  We are pleased that she remains an active part of the Jewish arts community as the new executive director of Rimon. Ben Cohen stepped into the role of Director of Arts, Culture and Enrichment and added the lab to his portfolio. 

So, what exactly is an Artists’ Laboratory?

It is a phrase that speaks to both art and science, two subjects often posed in opposition, although the creative process that underlies them is often quite similar. 

A laboratory is a place for experimentation, observation, or practice in a field of study. Our laboratory was anchored in community, a diverse and welcoming community composed of those with an interest in Jewish thought and spanning a wide range of religious practice, from secular to observant. We learned from each other as we gathered in community both in shared and virtual space. Our field of study was a series of thought-provoking themes as seen through the lens of Jewish text and commentary as well as a wide variety of contemporary sources. Each session was documented in a blog that captured our explorations, lab notes of a sort, much like scientists record their discoveries.

We began the lab with a multi-year grant from the Covenant Foundation and deeply appreciate their generosity in supporting the birth of this gathering. We were part of the Midwest Jewish Artists’ Lab, a group of six organizations in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Madison, Kansas City, Chicago and Cleveland. Periodic retreats united us across groups. Each group engaged in similar programs on a common theme. Minneapolis is the only site that is still actively meeting as a lab, but the artistic community that developed out of this effort has continued to stay connected more informally in other sites.

We brought many artistic disciplines to the group – sculpture, photography, painting, story, poetry, glass, mixed media, paper-cutting, video and many

more. Some began to venture out of their discipline and explore new ones. Others came together in collaboration. 

Our structure also was an experiment. Discussion was always at the core, but we also incorporated artistic exercises. We did a sketchbook exchange, working with a different creative process, once again in partnership, but this time across cities. Each of us became teachers and facilitators, often partnering as we led the lab in topics of personal interest. We also expanded our partnerships to include a younger generation in hevruta, sharing our study of the lab theme, each creating artwork, often together. 

Over a 10 year period more than 60 artists were involved in this lab experiment. Within this exhibit you will find work from over 40 of them exploring eight themes. We hope you will find the work as engaging and thought-provoking as we found the process.

Susan Weinberg

Resident Writer of the Laboratory since 2013