Thankful
Invited Artist |
Beth Grossman
Come Sit with Me, 2001
Gold leaf on chair seats
44" x 16"
I originally created this piece about my grandma's hands and the stories that they tell. My grandma's stories are the link to my Jewish heritage and identity. Every time I sit with her I come away with a new story of my own. This quiet triptych is an invitation to the well of stories and wisdom our elders offer if we just sit.
As a Christian friend sat with this art piece, she asked me if I had created if before or after I had studied the Italian master paintings in Italy. She pointed out that the hands signs were coincidentally positioned next to the cuts in the found chair seats in a way that told a Christian story. The first seat reminded her of Christ's hand bearing the stigmata. The second seat suggested the paintings of the Apostle Thomas pointing to the wound in Christ's side and the third seat presented the cupped hands of John in the painting where he baptizes Jesus. I made this work after absorbing the Italian masterpieces and I think I unconsciously created a piece that can be interpreted from both Jewish and Christian perspectives. Art speaks to whoever is looking at it in the same way that history is a subjective story told to one person by another. Its meaning is different for each.
She Who Dwells Within, 2005
Wooden ladle, gold pencil, spices
4" x 16" x 4"
These hands carved of Polish wooden ladles hold special memories of Shabbat dinners created by my Polish grandmother. The spices in my besamin, She Who Dwells Within, instantly evoke nostalgia for my grandma Bertha's cinnamon carrot ring and roasted chicken that she made for all her children and grandchildren every Friday night of my early childhood.
