Featuring works by Kate Laster, Bonny Nachmias, Christopher Reiger, Ava Sayaka Rosen, Arielle Tonkin and Gabriella Willenz.

The art exhibition will be in the Koch Gallery at the Schultz Cultural Arts Hall from July 18–September 30, 2022. It is open to the general public and admission is free.

About the Exhibit:
The Jewish calendar provides us not only one day a week for rest and renewal but also a year which does the same. The Shmita or Sabbatical year, also called the Shabbat of Shabbats and the Shabbat of the land, occurs every seventh year. Jewish law tells us that farming must cease, any naturally grown crops should be left for the needy and animals, and all debts are to be forgiven.

While Shmita is most relevant to farming, there are financial, societal, emotional and social justice ramifications for observing a Shmita year. While the laws of Shmita are only observed in the land of Israel, the lessons of Shmita are particularly resonant in the time of the pandemic. For some, the pandemic was an enforced time of rest, and for others quite the opposite.

In the Albert and Janet Schultz Cultural Arts Hall lobby, we are proud to present the work of local artists who explore the themes of Shmita and contemplate the following questions: What does it mean to have a Shmita year that follows such a tumultuous year of upheaval?What can we glean from the idea of Shmita in diaspora?

Six artists from the 2019 Bay Area Jewish Artist Retreat, a program of Asylm Arts, present their personal and varied interpretations in this exhibition, which will be on display this summer until September, as the Shmita year comes to completion.

As you view the work, keep in mind the Shmita year asks us all, how can we make do with what we already have?

Learn about Shmita, and wrap up the 2022 Shmita year which officially ends on September 26, 2022.

Questions? Email [email protected]


Monday, July 18–Friday, September 30
Koch Gallery in the Schultz Cultural Arts Hall (Bldg F)
Free
Contact: Michelle Shabtai | [email protected]