11/13/2024

Artistic Power

Tags: Federation, Arts, Israel

KIRSTEN BEARD | CJN

Article reprinted with permission from Cleveland Jewish News

New Exhibits at Roe Green Gallery and Maltz Museum Aim to be Cultural Conversation Starters

“Art + Activism” at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Roe Green Gallery and “Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art” at the Maltz Museum are two exhibits on view this fall and through the winter set to give visitors a thought-provoking experience.

Both exhibits use art as a powerful medium for reflection, resistance and healing, though in vastly different ways. “Art + Activism” opened Sept. 15 at the Federation’s Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Building, 25701 Science Park Drive in Beachwood, and will remain on view until March 30, 2025.

The Maltz Museum opened “Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art” on Oct. 30. It is on view until April 20, 2025, at 2929 Richmond Road in Beachwood.

‘Art + Activism’

In the aftermath of Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the Jewish Federation of Cleveland sought a meaningful way to commemorate the tragedy. As part of that effort, Roe Green Gallery volunteer director Matthew Garson reached out to Israeli artists Dede Bandaid and Nitzan Mintz, inviting them to bring their exhibit “Art + Activism” to Cleveland as a form of expression and healing.

Garson first met Bandaid, a multidisciplinary urban artist, and Mintz, a visual poet, in 2022, when the Federation’s Cleveland Israel Arts Connection hosted them for Culture Fix CLE – a city-wide initiative blending art with community engagement.

When Bandaid and Mintz arrived in New York for a three-month artists residency in September 2023, their plans were abruptly interrupted by the devastating Hamas attack that killed 1,200 and took nearly 250 people hostage in Israel. Stranded in New York and unable to return home to Tel Aviv due to safety concerns, the artists felt helpless, they told Jstyle at the Roe Green Gallery, during a visit to introduce their exhibit in September.

“They told us that we might not even have a home to come back to,” Mintz says. Learning about the tragedy through conversations with family and friends in Israel, they began to grasp the depth of the situation.

“At first, we thought it’s only another missile attack and suddenly we discovered so many people (were) being murdered, kidnapped,” Bandaid says. “So, we were paralyzed then for 24 hours. We just thought (and) stayed at the apartment.”

Bandaid and Mintz ended up merging their talents as street artists with a viral activist campaign calling for the immediate release of hostages. The campaign became a focal point of the “Art + Activism” exhibit, now displayed at the Federation gallery.

“They gave up everything to do this,” says Garson, who curated the exhibition. “… I know, as many artists know, it is the artists that we have looked (to for) centuries to learn about culture, about history (and) about the horrific events. And, it’s often the artist who will create something to make the public be aware and stand up.”

Their campaign adapted the 1980s milk carton campaign, where missing children were featured on milk cartons to raise awareness. With no budget and facing the challenge of being tourists in New York, Bandaid and Mintz enlisted the help of their friend and graphic designer Tal Huber in Israel.

“We told her we have an idea – that we want to simplify the milk carton campaign into (a) poster campaign,” Mintz says. “We thought (this is) the easiest, quickest way we can do it on our own. … She went (to work) quickly. She was super into it because she was shocked and wanted to do something.”

After a series of sketches and revisions, the final poster designs featured the faces of those missing from Israel. The two artists plastered the posters across Manhattan, but initial efforts to hand them out were met with indifference.

“We just felt miserable and isolated, like no one cares, (like) no one wanted to know,” Bandaid recalls. “And on the other side, like our country is on fire.”

Turning to social media, the artists uploaded the posters to spread awareness. The next morning, they woke to find their campaign had gone viral globally.

“Suddenly we’re walking in the streets of Manhattan and we see tons of posters that we didn’t even put up,” Bandaid says.

The posters have since appeared across social media platforms and in cities worldwide.

In addition to showcasing the hostage campaign, the exhibit features artwork from the previous year, addressing themes of building and destruction.

“All the materials that you see in those pieces are collages layered one on top of another,” Mintz says. “And in time, we grow that material in the layers and then we destroy it. It takes time to build, it’s like a house. … And the outcome in the end is the appearance of both. You can see the history of the destruction on top of what you have built. I think it really reflects humanity.”

Their artistic process begins by building a surface from old materials, creating a foundation of past works. “We make our own paper from (a) collage of old materials,” Mintz says. “Each piece you see is like a pile. It contains a pile of old pieces of art that are stitched and stuck to one another. It’s like a history.”

The final layer of each piece consists of text and painting, each with its own narrative. For Mintz and Bandaid to approach these themes, they began looking into their personal traumas and created a world based on the story and emotions they felt.

“The trauma is very personal, but also public,” Bandaid says. “During this process, we discovered that more people, of course our traumas are not (the same), but they’re also common to many more people, communities. … It’s also open enough for other people to interpret it and put their own story inside our art.”

Garson emphasizes that these works, while stemming from trauma, carry a message of hope.

“All of the work also has a sense of hope and healing,” Garson says. “That’s the thing that stands out to me – it is based on this trauma, but the end result is this image of hope and healing and protection.”

Mintz and Bandaid’s aim is to help viewers step outside their own reality, confronting the fear and uncertainty many Israelis feel today.

“I want people to understand we do not feel safe,” Mintz says. “And from our perspective as Israelis, we feel like our ground has been shaken into the level of us not feeling safe anywhere. … I want them to feel that fear because not every society is experiencing that kind of fear of losing their homes. Most people take it for granted.”

To schedule appointments or group tours of the exhibit, email israelarts@jewishcleveland.org or call 216-593-2890. Open houses will also be held monthly.

‘DEGENERATE! HITLER’S WAR ON MODERN ART’

Maltz Museum curator Aaron Bane was searching for exhibitions to bring to the museum when he discovered “Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art” at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee in Wisconsin. Originally curated by Molly Dubin, chief curator of the Milwaukee museum, the exhibition debuted in February 2023. It explores how the Nazi regime used culture as a tool of propaganda and control, branding modern art as “degenerate” to promote their vision of a purified German society.

“We presented this exhibition to our exhibitions committee and board of trustees with unanimous approval,” Bane tells Jstyle. “We are excited for Cleveland to be among the first cities to be able to experience this exhibition.”

Dubin emphasizes how the exhibition bridges past events with contemporary issues.

“One individual in particular I knew had extensively collected Weimar Republic era art, and it was a time period that was of interest to me because this was a period where the Nazi, or Socialist Party, used culture as a weapon for propaganda and to sway public opinion in terms of what they felt was necessary to purify German society and culture,” Dubin tells Jstyle.

The exhibit also has modern relevance in terms of censorship and cultural control, she says.

“It’s something we are still seeing – it’s very prevalent,” Dubin says, referencing book bans and other forms of cultural suppression. “We were seeing examples of things that had occurred in the past that were detrimental on many fronts.”

When assembling the exhibit, Dubin reached out to institutions and private collectors to gather significant works that represent artistic movements targeted by the Nazis. These works included pieces by artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Wassily Kandinsky, Marc Chagall and George Grosz.

“I started reaching out to other organizations, institutions to see what fitting pieces might be in area collections. I knew of individuals who had collected so called ‘degenerate’ art, and donated to university collections in Wisconsin,” Dubin says. “I went about trying to find work that might make for a compelling exhibit. And I was able to bring together really an extraordinary body of work representing many artists who were labeled degenerate.”

Bane says the Maltz Museum expanded on the original exhibit by adding 22 pieces to the original 40 that were on display in Milwaukee. The Cleveland expansion includes loans from the Cleveland Museum of Art, The Mishkan Or Museum of Jewish Cultures in Beachwood and the collection of Linda and Jack Lissauer.

“These works offer additional artistic perspectives of the era, which we believe will deepen visitors’ understanding of the social, political and cultural atmosphere of the time,” Bane says. “Also, these works illustrated additional artistic movements and motifs that we believe will contribute to a greater understanding of the social and artistic atmosphere.”

Additionally, the Maltz Museum is dedicating a section of the exhibit to the late Jolán Gross-Bettelheim, a Hungarian- born artist who left Europe in 1925 and settled in Cleveland. During World War II, she created a series of prints that offered cutting critiques of the war and showcased her lifelong anti- authoritarian and anti-war views.

The exhibit is divided in five core sections: styles and techniques, class divisions and protest, urban and rural landscapes, depictions of women and “In Hitler’s Crosshairs.”

“Each of these sections exhibit works of art that illustrate distinct themes, showcasing the unique problems that artists faced during this tumultuous time,” Bane says.

The exhibit is “undoubtedly relevant” for contemporary audiences in the current political and social climate, Bane adds.

“The core theme of this exhibition centers on the harsh ramifications of using art and culture as a means of control,” he says. “Around the world, authoritarianism, historical revisionism and disinformation are on the rise, and we believe this exhibition will serve as a reminder of how art can be used as a form of both oppression and resistance.”

Bane says he hopes it will inspire visitors to reflect on the power of art in promoting freedom and dissent.

“Art serves as an important form of creative expression but can also be used to influence and divide,” Bane says. “After viewing this exhibition, my wish is that audiences would feel inspired to make a difference in promoting and safeguarding artistic and intellectual freedom in their communities. Works of art should be able to express dissent without the fear of censorship or marginalization.”

Maltz Museum members receive free admission to the museum, free or reduced tickets to most programs, and store discounts. To purchase general admission tickets, which include the exhibit, and for more information, visit maltzmuseum.org.

Learn More: Federation, Arts, Israel