The American Jewish Museum, or AJM, is a
contemporary
Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...
Jewish art
Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and Ethnoreligious group, ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practic ...
museum located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A department of the
Jewish Community Center
A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...
(JCC) of Greater Pittsburgh, the museum is located in the
Squirrel Hill
Squirrel Hill is a residential neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The city officially divides it into two neighborhoods, Squirrel Hill North and Squirrel Hill South, but it is almost universally treated ...
JCC at the corner Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue, in the heart of Pittsburgh's historically Jewish neighborhood. The museum was founded in 1998, and though it does not have a permanent collection, it hosts several original and traveling exhibitions each year. The AJM aims to explore contemporary Jewish issues through art and related programs that facilitate intercultural dialogue.
History
Prior to 1998, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh had a small community gallery for nearly 25 years. Under the auspices o
Leslie A. Golomb the gallery underwent a period of substantial growth, evolving into a museum and receiving accreditation from th
Council of American Jewish Museums(CAJM). Accreditation by CAJM requires strict adherence to standards regarding archives, catalogues, and curating, as well as educational programs and outreach.
Today, the AJM galleries are still located on the Pittsburgh JCC's Squirrel Hill campus. While the AJM continues to emphasize the Pittsburgh community in its exhibitions and programming, its scope has grown as it collaborates with regional, national, and international artists and organizations. Additionally, the AJM frequently explores Jewish themes such as contemporary iterations of rituals, but aims to reach the wider community though exhibits with broad appeal and programming that encourages interfaith discourse.
Recent Exhibitions
As a non-collecting museum, the AJM works with local, national, and international artists to create original exhibitions, and occasionally hosts traveling exhibitions from institutions such as the
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust hi ...
. Here is a list of recent, notable exhibitions:
*2017
District Paintings.'' Rochelle Blumenfeld
*2011: ''Legacy''. A Painter's Legacy: The Students of
Samuel Rosenberg (artist)
*2010: ''Between Heaven and Earth.'
Ilene Winn Lederer*2010: ''To Speak Her Heart.'' Leslie A. Golomb and Barbara Broff Goldman
*2010: ''India: A Light Within.'
Charlee Brodsky*2010: ''I Thought I Could Fly.'' Charlee Brodsky
*2009: ''Tempted, Misled, Slaughtered: The Short Life of Hitler Youth, Paul B.'' Presented through the
Florida Holocaust Museum
*2009: ''Body of Work: Philip Mendlow''
*2008-2009: ''Love/Fences/Nests.'
Ally ReevesBen SchacterAnna Divinsky*2007-2008: ''Nazi Persecution of Homosexuals.'' Presented through the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
*2007: ''Of the Painted Image.'
Miriam CabessaSeth CohenPeter Rostovsky*2007: ''If My Eyes Speak.''
Adam Nadel
*2006: ''Body in Diaspora.'
Maritza Mosquera
*2006: ''118-60 Metropolitan Avenue.'
Joan Linder*2004-2005: ''The Mikvah Project.'
Janice Rubinand Leah Lax
*2004: ''QuilkLinks.'
Louise Silkand Pittsburgh teens
*2003: ''From Home to Home: Jewish Immigration to America.'' Presented through the
Children's Galleries for Jewish Culture (formerly the Jewish Children's Learning Lab)
*2001: ''Encountering the Second Commandment.'' International group exhibition of 43 artists from eight countries
References
External links
*
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Museums in Pittsburgh
Jewish museums in the United States
Jews and Judaism in Pittsburgh
Ethnic museums in Pennsylvania
Art museums and galleries in Pennsylvania
Modern art museums in the United States
Art museums established in 1998
1998 establishments in Pennsylvania