IN THE BEGINNING: ARTISTS RESPOND TO GENESIS
The Contemporary Jewish Museum inaugurates its new building with a ground-breaking
exhibition including new commissions by seven contemporary artists
June 8, 2008 – January 4, 2009
San Francisco, June 2008—An extraordinary collection of historical, modern and contemporary
artworks will be on view in the Contemporary Jewish Museum’s inaugural exhibition In the Beginning:
Artists Respond to Genesis (June 8, 2008 – January 4, 2009). Exploring the continuing relevance of the
story of creation in Genesis Chapter I, the Museum has commissioned new installations by seven
significant contemporary artists: Alan Berliner, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Ben Rubin, Matthew Ritchie,
Kay Rosen, Shirley Shor, and Mierle Laderman Ukeles. These works, ranging from multi-media and
sound installations to computer animations, projections, and wall drawings, are presented in a unique
dialogue with a compelling array of historical works, some rarely seen in public, and never before seen
together. Featured works include: a rendering of a 6th-century Roman synagogue mosaic; illuminated
manuscripts from the Medieval and Renaissance periods; 18th and 19th-century drawings by Giovanni
Domenico Tiepolo and William Blake; modern and contemporary works by Auguste Rodin, Marc
Chagall, Barnett Newman, Jacob Lawrence, and Ann Hamilton. The exhibition will also include three
works that respond to Genesis by San Francisco-based artist Tom Marioni. The exhibition will be
uniquely designed to create a lively dialogue between the new installations by the contemporary artists
and the historical representations of the story of creation.
On June 8, 2008, the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) will open its new, Daniel Libeskinddesigned building in the heart of downtown San Francisco’s Yerba Buena cultural district. The
Museum’s major inaugural exhibition, In the Beginning: Artists Respond to Genesis, will occupy the
Museum’s 7,000-square-foot second floor gallery. “In the Beginning will be the first in a series of
exhibitions the Contemporary Jewish Museum plans to develop that will examine the contemporary
relevance of Jewish texts from a variety of artistic, cultural, and literary perspectives,” said Director
Connie Wolf. “And for all of the obvious reasons, symbolic and otherwise, it made sense to start at the
beginning.”
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Artist Commissions: Creating New Commentary
The text of Genesis—the story of the origins of the universe and the creation of humanity—is rich in
universal themes related to religion, language, physics, creation, the environment, and ancient literature.
Since ancient times, biblical text has been scrutinized, reexamined, and reinterpreted so that it remains
meaningful in a changing world. Inspired by this rabbinical practice of adding new commentary to
biblical text and the Museum’s mission of looking at tradition through a contemporary lens, the
Contemporary Jewish Museum commissioned seven nationally and internationally-recognized artists to
create major, site-specific installations for In the Beginning. “In effect, we’ve invited the artists to add
their own layers of 21st-century commentary to this longstanding tradition of interpretation,” observed
Fred Wasserman, deputy director for programs.
“We wanted to bring together a culturally and ethnically diverse group of artists who work in a variety
of media, and all of whom have a particular interest in text, Genesis, and the origins of the universe,”
Wasserman noted. The artists selected include New York-based filmmaker and media artist, Alan
Berliner; Texas-based painter, textile and installation artist, Trenton Doyle Hancock; New York-based
media and sound artist, Ben Rubin; New York-based British painter and installation artist, Matthew
Ritchie; Indiana-based painter and installation artist, Kay Rosen; New York-based and Israeli-born newmedia artist, Shirley Shor; and New York-based installation and public artist, Mierle Laderman Ukeles.
The commissioned works vary widely in approach and artistic practice, but all are highly engaging and
experiential in nature. Ben Rubin will create a sound sculpture/installation that reexamines early
scientific efforts to measure the Big Bang in counterpoint to the Genesis narrative. Matthew Ritchie’s
visitor-activated multi-media installation will explore the experience and impact of the formation of the
universe. Onto a large structure shaped like a water well, Shirley Shor will project text fragments from
the Internet in English and Hebrew that consider how Biblical language manifests itself in our everyday
language. Alan Berliner is making a large-scale seven-screen “slot machine,” which draws on an
extraordinary range of archival film and sound, and invites visitors to “play God” as they question the
level of agency each of us has in our own lives. In colorful, psychedelic wallpaper and painting, Trenton
Doyle Hancock imagines a new chapter in his ongoing biblically inspired creation story. Mierle
Laderman Ukeles’s mystical installation is inspired by Kabbalistic interpretations of creation and will
invite visitors to make a commitment to perform an act of tikkun olam (repairing the world). Finally, in
her conceptual wall mural, Kay Rosen will mine the text of Genesis Chapter I to critique the way that
mankind has degraded the original creation. These bold and provocative new works encourage
audiences to rethink assumptions and to consider new ideas about the creation of our world and
humankind.
The commissioning process involved both inviting the artists to participate in the long-standing Jewish
tradition of interpreting text for its contemporary relevance and to respond to the Museum’s new
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Daniel Libeskind-designed building (which itself is a response to an historic structure). The artists
visited San Francisco for a walkthrough of the new building so that they could respond to the site
where their work would be installed. “The Museum then organized a one-day workshop at the Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York City, where five of the artists met with Biblical scholars, all of
whom presented different perspectives on the text of Genesis, Chapter I,” explained Dara Solomon,
assistant curator. “The workshop afforded a unique opportunity for the artists to engage with one
another and with specialists on the topic of Genesis. This experience strengthened the connections
between the text and their installations for In the Beginning.”
Commentary through the Ages
In keeping with the Museum’s commitment to exploring art and ideas, In the Beginning provides visitors
with a historical context for appreciating how the understanding of creation—and artistic
interpretations of the theme—have changed over time. The exhibition will be uniquely designed to
create a lively dialogue between these historical representations of the story of creation and the seven
major artist projects commissioned by the Contemporary Jewish Museum. The exhibition will feature
several richly illuminated Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts that depict God blessing the earthly
orb alongside rare Jewish representations of creation found in Passover Haggadot from 14th-15th
century Spain. In the Beginning will investigate the shift to a more dramatic approach to Genesis during
the Renaissance with Michelangelo-inspired images of a heavenly God creating the world, followed by
atmospheric and dramatic works by Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, Gustave Doré, and James Tissot, as
well as Auguste Rodin’s The Hand of God, from the 18th and 19th centuries. Continuing into the 20th
century, the exhibition will explore the various abstract and figurative styles used to depict creation,
from the existential questioning of “creation” and “being” found in works by artists such as Jacob
Lawrence and Marc Chagall to Barnett Newman’s Onement II, part of a series of paintings in which he
explores artistic and universal dualities.
The exhibition design will encourage a dialogue between the artists, time periods, and differing
perspectives on the story of creation, as well as a conversation between Museum visitors and the works
themselves. With artwork and rare manuscripts drawn from major museum and library collections
across the United States, including the National Gallery of Art, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of
Art, The Jewish Museum in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Fine Arts
Museums of San Francisco, The Library of Congress, the New York Public Library, the Bancroft
Library, and the Jewish Theological Seminary, together with the seven newly commissioned
installations, In the Beginning offers visitors a truly unique opportunity to consider relationships and
connections between historic, modern and contemporary works never before seen together in this
context.
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Genesis Now: Other Perspectives
Continuing the theme of ongoing commentary, the Contemporary Jewish Museum developed the video
Genesis Now in which 12 to 15 scientists, theologians, writers, filmmakers, and others respond to the text
of Genesis, Chapter I. Directed by renowned Bay Area filmmaker, Pam Rorke Levy, Genesis Now will
provide viewers with an understanding of the ongoing quest to understand creation, the origins of the
universe, and new beginnings.
In the Beginning is organized by the Contemporary Jewish Museum and co-curated by Director and CEO
Connie Wolf; Deputy Director for Programs Fred Wasserman; and Assistant Curator Dara Solomon.
The exhibition was designed by Robin Parkinson, principal of the New York-based firm Exhibition Art
& Technology.
In the Beginning: Artists Respond to Genesis is generously supported by The Shenson Foundation in memory
of Ben and A. Jess Shenson; Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation; and the National Endowment for the Arts,
with additional support from the Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, celebrating
Israel’s 60th Anniversary. Funding for the video Genesis Now comes from the John Templeton
Foundation with additional in-kind support from Pam Rorke Levy.
About the Contemporary Jewish Museum
With the opening of its new building on June 8, 2008, the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) will
usher in a new chapter in its 20-plus year history of engaging audiences and artists in exploring
contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. The new facility, designed by
internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, will be a lively center where people of all ages and
backgrounds can gather to experience art, share diverse perspectives, and engage in hands-on activities.
Inspired by the Hebrew phrase “L’Chaim” (To Life), the building is a physical embodiment of the
CJM’s mission to bring together tradition and innovation in an exploration of the Jewish experience in
the 21st century.
Major support for the Contemporary Jewish Museum comes from the Koret and Taube Foundations;
Jim Joseph Foundation; Millennium Partners; Four Seasons Hotel San Francisco; Grants for the
Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; Alexander M. and June L.
Maisin Foundation of the Jewish Community Federation’s Endowment Fund; Target; The Wallace
Foundation; BNY Mellon Wealth Management; Gruber Family Foundation; Fred Levin and Nancy
Livingston, The Shenson Foundation, in memory of Ben and A. Jess Shenson; The Skirball
Foundation; Wells Fargo; Wells Fargo Foundation; and The James Irvine Foundation. The Museum is
supported by the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma
Counties.
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For more information about the Contemporary Jewish Museum, visit the Museum’s website
thecjm.org.
MUSEUM INFORMATION
WHAT:
The Contemporary Jewish Museum presents In the Beginning:
Artists Respond to Genesis. The first in a series of exhibitions that
will explore the contemporary relevance of Jewish text from a
variety of artistic, cultural, and literary perspectives. The
exhibition features new work by Alan Berliner, Trenton Doyle
Hancock, Ben Rubin, Matthew Ritchie, Kay Rosen, Shirley Shor,
and Mierle Laderman Ukeles.
WHEN:
June 8, 2008 through January 4, 2009
WHERE:
Contemporary Jewish Museum
736 Mission Street (between Third and Fourth streets)
San Francisco, CA 94103
HOURS:
Open daily (except Wednesday): 11:00 AM - 5:30 PM
Thursday: 1:00 PM - 8:30 PM
ADMISSION:
Members and children 18 and under, Free; General Admission,
$10; Students with a valid ID and Seniors, $8
Groups ticket discount: Groups of 10 or more will receive $1 off
the individual ticket price.
INFORMATION:
Please call (415) 655-7800 or visit thecjm.org
GUIDED TOURS:
Public Tours are offered Monday, Tuesday, and Friday-Sunday at
11:30 AM and 2:00 PM; and Thursday at 2:00 PM, 5:30 PM, and
7:00 PM. The Museum is closed on Wednesdays.
Private Tours of exhibitions and the Museum’s architecture are
available for groups of 10 or more students, teachers, teens,
families, and adults. Private Tours for adults are $100; discounted
group admission rates also apply. Groups over 20 people require
additional tour guides at $75 each. School/Youth Tours are $25
for every 20 students; admission fees are waived for students 18
years and under, and up to three chaperones. When available,
hands-on art-making workshops offered in conjunction with
School Tours are $50 for every 20 students.
For more tour information contact: tours@thecjm.org or (415)
655-7856.
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ALSO ON VIEW
From The New Yorker to Shrek: The Art of William Steig (June 8, 2008 through September 7, 2008) and John
Zorn Presents the Aleph-Bet Sound Project (June 8, 2008 through January 4, 2009).
For media information or visuals, please contact:
Contemporary Jewish Museum
Stacey Silver
(415) 655-7833
ssilver@thecjm.org
Norris Communications
Wendy Norris
(415) 307-3853
wendy@norriscommunications.biz
Kate Patterson
(415) 655-7835
kpatterson@thecjm.org
Liam Passmore
(415) 218-1544
liam@norriscommunications.biz
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