Special Events
Dwelling in the Time of Plagues Opening
Thursday, March 25 8 pm (EST)
Register here for Zoom event.
JLIVE WITH
GOLEM V. GOLEM ARTIST JULIE WEITZ
Friday, March 26 12pm (EST)
Register here for Zoom event link.
Contemporary Plagues - Jewish Street Art Festival Passover 2021 Event
Wednesday, March 31 7:30 pm (EST)
Register here for Zoom event link.
VIRTUAL OPENING: IN THE ABSENCE OF A PROPER MOURNING
Thursday, April 1 7 pm (EST)
Registration and more information here.
baltimore
boston
charlotte
detroit
new york city
toronto
Dwelling
in a Time of Plagues
A Jewish creative response to real-world plagues of our time
Passover 2021
Dwelling in a Time of Plagues is a Jewish creative response to real-world plagues of our time. Collectively, the commissions in this constellation of art projects around North America grapple with contemporary crises: the global pandemic, institutional racism, xenophobia, ageism, forced isolation, and the climate crisis.
Plagues & Liberation
Coinciding with the holiday of Passover, during which we remember the 10 Plagues visited upon the Egyptians, the works for “Dwelling in a Time of Plagues” reinterpret the themes of Passover in response to our times and our unique partners. New works generated by Jewish artists and creatives include outdoor sculptures, murals, essays, audio pieces, videos, and digital art experiences online. Each piece responds to its medium and host community specifically, and to our collective plight as Jews and as human beings.
We invite you to dwell with us in these physical and virtual pieces for our times.
Covid
baltimore
Artist: Tal Beery
Author: Rebecca Soffer
Darkness
Boston
Artist: Julie Weitz
Author: Moriel Rothman-Zecher
housing insecurity
Charlotte
Artist: MIKE WIRTH
Author: Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz
Single-Use Plastic
Detroit
Artist: Olivia Guterson
Author: Sarah Blake
Food Insecurity
New York City
(Manhattan & Brooklyn)
Artist: Hillel Smith
Author: Michael Twitty
Grief and Loss
New York City (manhattan)
Artist: Maya Ciarrochi
Author:Darin Strauss
Binary Thinking
Toronto
Artist: Bareket Kezwer
Author: Rabbi Abby Stein
Ageism
Los Angeles
Artist: TIFFANY WOOLF
Author: Letty Cottin Pogrebin
Racism
Portland, Oregon
Artist: ADAM W. MCKINNEY
Author: Marra B. Gad
Xenophobia
TUCSON
Artist: MIRTA KUPFERMINC
Author: Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (translated by Sondra Silverston)
TUCSON
Artist: MIRTA KUPFERMINC
Author: Ayelet Gundar-Goshen (translated by Sondra Silverston)
Don’t dwell alone!
Download the exhibition brochure featuring original art and writing, and sign up for the CANVAS Compendium, our newsletter on the best of Jewish arts and culture.
Sign up to receive our free Passover Supplement (Ready March 22nd)

Dwelling in a Time of Plagues: Sukkot
“There is a certain pleasure — rare in our socially distanced moment — of experiencing stories in public, communally, albeit at a distance from other onlookers…” — Hyperallergic
“Dwelling in a Times of Plagues: Sukkot” launched in October 2020 with installations by artists Mirta Kupferminc, Adam W. McKinney, and Tiffany Woolf at the Jewish History Museum and Holocaust Center in Tucson, Ariz.; Oregon Museum and Center for Holocaust Education in Portland; Holocaust Museum Los Angeles; and the 14th Street Y in New York City.
Each artist was asked to develop an artwork that took into account the themes of Sukkot, while considering safety realities per the pandemic, the outside spaces available, special opportunities at each museum, and themes of justice.
This constellation of exhibits drew thousands of in-person and virtual viewers, and was featured widely in the media. Below are some highlights:
Drawing on Jewish Tradition, a Filmmaker Gives Voice to Elders
(Matt Stromberg, Hyperallergic)
Amidst Continued Protests in Portland, Adam McKinney’s New Show Explores His Black and Jewish Identities
(Chava Lansky, Dance Magazine)
Sukkot, the Pandemic and a Lynching Come Together in a Multiracial Jewish Dancer’s New Art Installation
(Josefin Dolsten, Jewish Telegraphic Agency)
Artistic Sukkot-Inspired Exhibition: ‘Ushpizin of the Silver Screen’
(Esther Kustanowitz, Los Angeles Jewish Journal)
Reimagining Sukkahs in a Time of Plague
(P.J. Grisar, The Forward)
Jewish Arts Institutions Respond to Racial Injustice—and Covid-19
(Robert Goldblum, Hadassah Magazine)
Clamor in the Desert: A Shelter for Anyone Who Feels Forlorn
(Mirta Kupferminc, Lilith)
recent media coverage
For media coverage of “Dwelling in a Time of Plagues: Sukkot” click here.
In the Absence of a Proper Mourning
(Sheilah Kast, WYPR Baltimore)
Amid a Lack of Support, This Funding Collaborative Backs Jewish Arts and Culture
(Simone Ellin, Inside Philanthropy)
Charlotte Artist’s ‘The Promise’ Keeps Awareness On Tent City And Homelessness
(Sarah Delia, WFAE 90.7)
This Artist Draws on African and Jewish Heritages to Make Something New
(Chloe Sarbib, Alma)
In Beacon Hill, the Golem Rises as ‘A Protector of all People’ for Passover
(Cate McQuaid, The Boston Globe)
“Golem v. Golem” to Appear as Passover Art Installation at Vilna Shul
(Judy Bolton-Fasman, Jewish Boston)
Art Installation Advances ‘Plastover’ Holiday Theme
(Suzanne Chessler, The Detroit Jewish News)
Artists Confront the New Plagues of Passover
(P.J. Grisar, The Forward)
A Jewish Fund for Artists Creates a Plague-Themed Passover Exhibit
(Helen Chernikoff, eJewish Philanthropy)
Toronto
Miles Nadal jewish Community Centre
Bareket Kezwer
BOTH&
Opening March 26th
To see more about this exhibition, click here.
Boston
Vilna Shul
Julie Weitz
Golem v. Golem
March 26 — April 4
To see more about this exhibition, click here.
Baltimore
Jewish Museum of Maryland
Tal Beery
in the absence of a proper mourning
March 26 —May 18
To see more about this exhibition, click here.
Charlotte
Queens University of Charlotte
Mike Wirth
“Havtacha” The Promise
Opening March 26th
To see more about this exhibition, click here.
Detroit
Museum of Contemporary Art
Olivia Guterson
At Our Table
March 25 — April 4
To see more about this exhibition, click here.
New York City
JCC Harlem
Repair the World NYC
Hillel Smith
What sustains Us
Opening March 26th
To see more about this exhibition, click here.
14th Street Y
ZAZ10TS, LED BILLBOARD
Maya Ciarrochi
THIS PLACE HAS A BODY
Opening March 26th
To see more about this exhibition, click here.