Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Eddy's Chair


Eddy writes:
The CHAIR AFFAIR is a wonderful fundraising event that benefits Portland's Community Warehouse. You can help this incredible non-profit organization by attending the auction in April. To learn more about the warehouse or the variety of ways you could support them, go to communitywarehouse.org

I am excited to announce that three ORA members (Diane, Laura and Robin) are crafting a brilliant chair for this affair....(pictures coming soon, I hope!)......

.....and I am flying solo on a separate chair.

Months ago I selected a chair from the warehouse (see the picture) . It developed cracks in the wood (my son sat on it) and every attempt to repair it simply yielded more cracks! Monday brought even more cracks. I proclaimed it the CHAIR FROM HELL then drove to to the warehouse to pick up another chair (smaller but sturdier!- see the little black chair photo).

Thanks to the help of my husband and his circular saw, my wooden reinforcements are now in place. The glass work begins tonight!

My glassy chair won't provide cush for anyone's tusch, but it will offer relief from the stress of daily life. Stay tuned for updates!....Eddy

Sunday, February 10, 2008

First Thursday - A Success!

Our First Thursday opening night was a huge success. A steady crowd arrived between 5-8pm and at 8:15 , with sadness, we announced that the museum really needed to close.


At first, there was a lot of schmoozing - but as the evening progressed, talk turned to discussions about the works of art. Artists explained their work, discussed their techniques, inspirations, tools and this Exodus journey.

We are most grateful to Judy Margles and the Oregon Jewish Museum for hosting us and each artist will donate a piece of art for the museum's upcoming art auction.

If you weren't able to see our exhibit on First Thursday - come on down to the museum. Our show continues through February 24th!

OJM
310 W Davis Street



Monday, February 4, 2008

A comment from Eddy afer viewing our Exodus Journeys

After everyone left our set up at the Oregon Jewish Museum I took one last look around. This is what I saw:

Diane Fredgant's brilliance on silk: creation, the red sea, blessings, journeys, explosions of color!

Sharon Segal's suitcase series that create memories of travels we've had and travels we've only dreamed of.

Laura Joy Fendel takes us to Miriam's well; a three dimensional fabric piece that makes you want to drink the rich deep blue waters of healing.

Robin Esterkin's portraits of women and men that recall another century.

Sara Harwin's geometric newest ultrasuede interpretations of hebrew words and their deeper meanings.

Esther Liberman's meticulous beadwork (a journey in the making, no doubt): a memorial candle for Miriam, and jewelry exquisite beyond words!

Leslie Elder's luscious water colors depicting a family's journey to Ein Gedi, the dance of Miriam, and more.

Rosana Berdichevsky's collages that blend words and images and color that bring you comfort- that bring you home.

Sabina Wohlfeiler has taken us to her childhood as a displaced person in Germany to her arrival in the US, and now to her artistic visions as a contemporary painter.

Lynn Dorman has created a delightful photographic album of her Exodus from the east coast to the promised land of Portland.

....and I'm feeling pretty good about the glass seder plate I created to honor the memory of six women who survived the Holocaust and became role models for me.

Yes, there is even more than I have described here.....!

If you're still reading this, please join us for our opening. Most of us will be there to welcome you.
Robin, Rosana, and Julie....we wish you all speedy healing.

Eddy Shuldman

Sunday, February 3, 2008

The show is hung!

We spent the morning at the museum - and with the great eye of Fred Harwin directing us - we hung and placed our work for the upcoming show!

Thank you to Fred.

Here is a photo of us, and Fred, when we were done!







More photos and some video will be taken prior to the opening night and will be posted after that.



The show, EXODUS: OUR JOURNEYS, opens February 7th from 5-8 and is a part of first Thursday.

Oregon Jewish Museum
310 NW Davis
Portland Oregon

Show runs then thru February 24th....

Friday, February 1, 2008

My "Exodus"

Exodus: My Own Journey - [now on the wall of the Oregon Jewish Museum...along with the journeys of all the other memebrs of ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists.]

How I dealt with this project : - )

For months my mind had been a blank on what and how to do this project for the Museum.

In December I remembered:

1 -that my son had asked me to write down some tidbits about my life as he was interested in "things I used to do" - so for him - I had started that... He even gave me a sort of title: From Cambria Heights to Portland.

2- over the last few years I have been sorting through family and my own photos - over 70 years of pictures - yow!

3 - it was exactly 40 years between my leaving New York City and arriving in Portland...

All this can not be a coincidence I said.

And voila - From Cambria Heights to Bridgeton Road: my 40 year journey to the promised land - was born!

At least the idea was there but no logistics - except my mind was focused on maps and photos. I yelled "help" to old friends and new for over a month - and suddenly the other day one local friend came up with an idea from a magazine she was looking at - and I also put out a "help" request on a mastermind business call that same night. Guess what - a woman on the call had seen something similar to the magazine idea with an added component - and so the planets aligned for me - the two ideas gelled and I am now in the process of putting the idea onto foam boards that will be hung in the Museum this Sunday for the opening next week!

There really are no coincidences - I have always been a believer in the idea that everything fits together and this is what is meant to be.

The OJM display is an abridged version of the journey and I am thinking of doing an ebook [later] using many more of my writings and photos and dedicating it to my son...[ of course!]

You can see all the journeys on opening night - February 7th...from 5 to 8 PM - part of first Thursday
310 NW Davis Street