Native Ohioan and Israeli Artist Returns
to Columbus for Artist-in-Residency

David Moss regularly travels the globe to present residencies from Jerusalem to Ontario, and from Massachusetts to California. Priced moderately to "investment," his work may be found in collections worldwide, including the British Museum, Getty Museum, Library of Congress, New York Public Library, National Library of Canada, and at universities such as Yale, Harvard, Stanford, Duke, Princeton, as well as in the Judaic collections of the Hebrew Union College, Jewish Theological Seminary, Yeshivah University, Magnes Museum and Skirball Museum.

Currently a resident of Jerusalem, Moss will be at the JCC as its guest Artist-in-Residence from Thursday, April 3 through Wednesday, April 9. "The JCC is excited to host this amazing artist. David Moss' residency will take our Jewish cultural programming to new heights. To have an artist of this stature with us for a week is truly a gift to the community and we thank all the sponsors and committee members who made it possible," said JCC Executive Director Carol Folkerth.

Highlights of the residency include:

• Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m. - A presentation by the artist on "Embellishing Traditions: Contemporary Jewish Calligraphy, PaperCuts, and Graphic Design," at the Columbus Museum of Art, 480 E. Broad St. A dessert reception will follow.
• Friday, April 4 - A day with upper school art students at Columbus Torah Academy, with a discussion of textual interpretation through the use of calligraphy, illumination and paper cutting.
• Sunday, April 6, 10 a.m. - A seminar on "Infusing Communal Space with the Jewish Soul," at the JCC.
• Sunday, April 6, 7 p.m. - The official opening of the exhibit Embellishing Tradition, combined with a lecture, "The Moss Haggadah: An Intimate, Guided Tour by the Artist," at the JCC. A dessert reception will follow the event.
• Monday, April 7, 3:30 p.m. - A lecture on "Reinterpretation of Jewish Texts Through Art," at The Ohio State University Libraries, 600 Ackerman Ave.
• Tuesday, April 8 - A day with students in K-6th at the Columbus Jewish Day School to introduce the techniques of paper cutting and calligraphy.
• Tuesday, April 8, 7 p.m. - Meeting with teen members of BBYO and JET to discuss his work and career.

Numerous pieces of his artwork - from illuminated text to pottery - also have been assembled for an exhibit at the JCC from April 6 through May 11, entitled, "Embellishing Tradition." Now on display in the JCC lobby - as a preview of the larger exhibit - are a print of a wheel of Shofarot, a pottery bowl with the same theme, and a small pottery tzedakah box.

"One of Moss' hallmarks is to employ the use of 'negative space' in which to send a message. His tzedakah box contains a message in Hebrew written around the outside in the black space between bright blue designs. The effect is magical once the viewer sees the letters," said Betty Klapper, who, along with her husband, Michael, are proprietors of The Art at the Center in the JCC lobby. The Klappers have been instrumental in arranging Moss' visit to Columbus.

Moss, who describes himself as "Illuminator, Animator and Transformer of Jewish Texts, Objects, Spaces and Souls," also has influenced the design of numerous institutions of learning, including the Akiba Academy of Dallas and Hillel House at UCLA, as well as the UJA Federation of New York.

In a recent interview, Moss said that his greatest artistic influence was his father, Jack Moss.

"He was a very creative person and spent a good bit of his time studying the creative process and teaching it to others - including, of course, my sister and me," he said. "This instilled in me the ability to bring the spark of creativity to all my artistic endeavors. It allowed me to create not only fresh works, but to imagine and bring into existence new artistic forms."

As the visitor looks through the items on exhibit, it is quite evident that, over the years, Moss' work has evolved and incorporated different media. How - or why - did he decide to go from illuminated texts to objects and then architectural spaces? The answer is simple, said Moss.

"An important element in the creative process is looking beyond the conventional, pushing boundaries and restrictions. Among the most important of these are the restrictions we place on ourselves in our self-definitions," he said. "Perhaps because I don't have formal artistic training I have always tried to not restrict the way I view my own career as being limited in media, techniques or areas of endeavor. This has allowed me to build gradually on what I've learned and mastered at each stage and to apply it to new realms."

When asked what advice he would give to up-and-coming Judaic artists, Moss replied simply, "Study. Study. Study."

"In the term 'Jewish Art,' the Jewish comes first and the art second. I firmly believe that for Jewish Art to be authentic, meaningful and transforming; it must be firmly based in our texts, traditions, values and history. Only then can the artistic process begin to come into play and only then can the interplay between Judaism and the arts be rich, fresh and inspiring," he said.

After receiving his bachelor's degree in 1968 at St. John's College of Annapolis and Santa Fe, he went on to study at Hebrew University and the Jewish Theological Seminary.

In the 1970s Moss embarked on the revival of the ketubah (marriage contract). During the 17th and 18th centuries, the hand illuminated ketubah had evolved into a creative religious art form. Over the following two centuries there was a distinct decline in the art of the ketubah until, said Moss, "the typical ketubah [became] a plain, printed form filled out by the rabbi, ignored at the wedding and stuck in a drawer by the couple."

With Moss' inventiveness, the ketubah once again has become a major work of art. He then turned to illumination and created what has become known as the Moss Haggadah manuscript, a magnificent work which has been reproduced in facsimile and also published in various trade printings. His work with the Haggadah (Passover text) led him to the design and publication of other printed texts, among them Lamentations and the Song of Songs.

"David Moss' extraordinary calligraphy, papercuts, bookmaking, and designs infuse traditional Jewish rituals and texts with meaning for contemporary audiences. His stories, demonstrations, and workshops are sure to provide wonder and insights for those who are familiar with Jewish traditions and those who are not," said Dr. Carole Genshaft, Adjunct Curator of Education at the Columbus Museum of Art.

Moss' visit is being supported by grants through the Ohio Arts Council, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Lenore Schottenstein Jewish Arts Endowment and the William and Rose Schiff Jewish Arts Fund of the Columbus Jewish Foundation, and the Myer and Selma Mellman Fund to Support the Visual Arts at the JCC.

"The Jewish Arts Committee of the Columbus Jewish Foundation is proud to support the upcoming David Ross Residence," said Debby Kane, Foundation Jewish Arts Committee chair. "Rarely does the Jewish community have the opportunity to showcase a premiere Israeli artist, particularly one skilled in a variety of mediums such as calligraphy, illustrations, book designing and spiritual architectural interpretations."

All programs are free and open to the public. For more information, visit the JCC website or call (614) 231-2731.