A Celebration of Family Exhibition Preview: Growing Up Jewish – Art & Storytelling

When Mira Visited the Sukkah By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle Oil on Canvas, 16x20, painted 2019 Original photograph taken - 1972

When Mira Visited the Sukkah
By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle
Oil on Canvas, 16×20, painted 2019
Original photograph taken – 1972

This summer, part of the Maltz Museum’s A Celebration of Family exhibition features the critically acclaimed traveling collection, Growing Up Jewish – Art & Storytelling. This Inspiring collection will be on view at the Museum from June 2 to September 1, 2024.


Hebrew National By J. Kott-Wolle Oil on Canvas, 24x30, painted 2018 Original photograph taken - 2018


Hebrew National
By J. Kott-Wolle
Oil on Canvas, 24×30, painted 2018
Original photograph taken – 2018

Growing Up Jewish – Art & Storytelling traces the story of one North American Jewish family through five generations from 1925 to the present. The collection includes a series of 42 contemporary oil paintings and personal narratives exploring one family’s North American brand of Jewish identity and how it evolved over five generations.

Kot Textiles By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle Oil on Canvas, 24x36, painted 2019 Original photograph taken - 1969


Kot Textiles
By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle
Oil on Canvas, 24×36, painted 2019
Original photograph taken – 1969

Drawing from family photos, artist Jacqueline Kott-Wolle captures intimate moments through the years in her vibrant brush strokes. Paired with the artists’ personal narratives, the exhibition explores a colorful cast of characters and the complexity of Jewish identity in North America over the last century.

The “Jew-Fro” By J. Kott-Wolle Oil on Canvas, 14 x18, painted 2019 Original photograph taken – 1975


The “Jew-Fro”
By J. Kott-Wolle
Oil on Canvas, 14 x18, painted 2019
Original photograph taken – 1975

Her work reflects American life as many of us know it—a contemporary one, yet steeped in the traditions of Judaism that forebears brought with them after the Holocaust. Kott-Wolle’s paintings and narratives playfully and vibrantly describe a world of family, tradition, and community. A world sometimes informed by memories of life before the war and inspired in part by hardships faced during the war.

The Four Questions on Jeanne Mance Street By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle Oil on Canvas, 18x24, painted 2019 Original photograph taken - 1968


The Four Questions on Jeanne Mance Street
By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle
Oil on Canvas, 18×24, painted 2019
Original photograph taken – 1968

The works include Jewish holiday and ritual observances; special moments at Hebrew school and summer camp; vacations with grandparents, and milestone celebrations marked by the artist’s family through the years. Paired with Kott-Wolle’s narratives, the paintings, derived from family photo albums, invite us to explore the question: “What does it mean to be Jewish for past, present, and future generations in North America?”

Our Turn to Host Rosh Hashanah By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle Oil on Canvas, 16x20, painted 2019 Original photograph taken - 2010


Our Turn to Host Rosh Hashanah
By Jacqueline Kott-Wolle
Oil on Canvas, 16×20, painted 2019
Original photograph taken – 2010

 


Maltz Museum