Art, Spirituality, and Activism

My friend Menachem asked me some interesting questions, and I thought I'd share them with you. Menachem asked:

1. In what way, if any, do you view the work as Jewish per se?

2. What is the most important religious message that your work in the show conveys?

3. How do you weigh the art side of your work against the religious message/activism side?

Here are my answers:

1. Some of the pieces have explicitly Jewish content, such as the aleph-bet images. There's also an image of "Shekhina in the Garden," among others. The latter is a kabbalistic meditation on the Etz Chayyim (Tree of Life). "Narrow Bridge" is a meditation on gesher tsar me-od ("All the world is a narrow bridge.") There also are pieces that have no Jewish content at all. In most cases, though, they have some relation to universal spiritual concepts, which I come to from a Jewish perspective.

2. I think there's a difference between religion and spirituality. For me, the work is spiritual in nature, not religious per se. One of the themes that runs through all the pieces is the light within. I think of it as the Divine spark that exists in all of us and all things.

Mandalas act as mirrors. They take the viewer into their own center and connect them to their most authentic self. In that sense, they invite the viewers to connect with the Divine within them--with their true self.

These also are images of hope--that even in the darkest times, there is hope. And we should focus on drawing that out. That's what I try to do in all my artwork, and that's what I hope viewers will take away from the show.

The show represents my own artistic, psychological, and spiritual journey over the past almost fifteen years. But there's also a universal aspect--that we are all on our own journeys, that life is a circle, that in a variety of ways we are all one (echad).

3. My art is very intention-based, so there's always a connection between the image and my spiritual intention and action. And the art also is a catalyst for my own tikkun olam. For example, I'm donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of pieces in this show to Project Create--a nonprofit organization that provides free, professionally taught arts classes to at-risk kids in Washington, DC (www.projectcreatedc.org). I used to teach classes for Project Create, and now I'm on the board because I believe very strongly in the value of art in children's lives.
Art and artists have an influence on public ideas, and I believe that artists have an opportunity to do more than just create pretty pictures. Artists can use their art to help create the world they want. That's part of what this show is all about for me.

For me, each piece of art comes out of the intention that I begin with. The activism comes in the selling of the art and choosing to donate a percentage of the proceeds: I can take something of what I gain and do some good with it in the world. It's a partnership between me as the artist and the people who buy they art: They're also supporting a good cause, while they're obtaining a wonderful piece of art for their home or office.

One other point I wanted to make: Personally, I'm tired of seeing "negative" art. I truly understand the need to do it as a way for an artist to get things off their chest and release negative energy. But we're bombarded by negative images in the media all the time now, and I believe that what we focus on is what we create. (That's the "Law of Attraction.") So it's important to put positive images out there that people can relate to and reflect on--as a way to build positive energy in the world.