FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM PRESENTS
IN THAT CASE: HAVRUTA IN CONTEMPORARY ART
An ancient Talmudic study principle reinterpreted by artist Helena Keeffe in
collaboration with food activist and social entrepreneur Jessica Prentice
January 22–April 14, 2015
Opening Reception and Program: January 22, 2015 from 6 to 8pm
(San Francisco, CA, December 15, 2014) Dialogue has always been an integral part of learning in
traditional Jewish contexts. The Talmud states, “Just as in the case of iron, when one implement
sharpens another, so too do two scholars sharpen each other.”
Now, The Contemporary Jewish Museum repurposes the centuries-old practice of havruta—the
study of religious texts by people in pairs—for the contemporary art community. A new exhibition
series, In That Case: Havruta in Contemporary Art, brings individual Bay Area artists together with a
scholar, scientist, writer, or other thinker of his or her choice for a ten-week fellowship in creativity.
The resulting collaborations will be presented in The Museum’s Sala Webb Education Center, and
visitors can also follow the collaborative process on The Museum’s blog (cjmvoices.blogspot.com),
where artists will post reflections, thoughts, images, and more at intervals during the development of
the work.
The second installation in the series features the work of artist Helena Keeffe in collaboration with
food activist Jessica Prentice and is on view January 22–April 14, 2015 with a public reception and
casual artist talk from 6–8pm.
Together, they are creating an installation with the title “A Menu for Recognizing Invisible Forces,”
that explores the hidden ecological intricacies, social bonds and interdependent cycles, which tie
people to their environment and to each other through food. Of her choice of Prentice as
collaborator, Keeffe says, “I’ve been working with food and the social space of a meal in my work
for a while now and it seemed like partnering with an educator so passionate about foodways would
be a great way to deepen my own practice. Jessica has been a pivotal force in raising awareness about
the importance of supporting local food systems and is the co-founder of Three Stone Hearth, a
community supported kitchen in Berkeley. I can’t think of a better study partner when it comes to
food as a topic for inquiry.”
They began their collaboration by reading The Ohlone Way together and following threads related to
gift economies and traditional ways of meeting physical and spiritual needs. Keeffe envisions the
final exhibition as a combination of objects intended for domestic use—including drawings on large
ceramic platters and naturally dyed textiles—and writing by Prentice that takes the form of recipes as
metaphor and poetry.
Biographies
Helena Keeffe is a San Francisco based artist, teacher, and cook who brings these identities together
in projects that invite others to step with her into unfamiliar territory. Past examples include hospital
uniforms and linens designed in collaboration with long-term care patients; city bus route maps
annotated with drivers’ portraits and anecdotes; a twelve-course meal for twelve people based on
their family immigration stories; and The Upturned Table—a series of workshops leading up to a
day-long restaurant conceived in collaboration with and run by kids. She received an MFA from UC
Berkeley where she co-organized a conference with Shannon Jackson, director of the Arts Research
Center, on the subject of valuing labor in the arts.
Jessica Prentice is a professional chef, author, local foods activist, and social entrepreneur. Her book
Full Moon Feast: Food and the Hunger for Connection (Chelsea Green, 2006) mythopoetically explores the
connections between the environment, human communities, and traditional cycles through food.
She is a co-founder of Three Stone Hearth (threestonehearth.com), a community supported kitchen
in Berkeley that uses local, sustainable ingredients to prepare nutrient-dense, traditional foods on a
community scale. Prentice is also co-creator of the Local Foods Wheel, coined the word “locavore,”
and is a regular contributor to Edible East Bay.
The Jewish Tradition of Havruta
In That Case: Havruta in Contemporary Art draws inspiration from the traditional Jewish learning
method of studying the Talmud in pairs, havruta. The Talmud itself is a book of scholarly exchange
with writings outlining Jewish law by multiple rabbinic authors in two parts—the Mishnah, a
transcription of the Oral Torah (c. 200 C.E.) and the Gemara, commentary on the laws (c. 500 C.E.).
There are approximately 120 known authors of the Mishnah alone. Contrasted with the university
model where students passively listen to lectures to absorb information, havruta demands active
participation and engagement with the texts being studied. The root word haver—“friend” in
Hebrew—emphasizes the communal nature of learning, and the havruta learning model reflects the
Jewish affinity for asking questions and grappling with complex topics, together.
Exhibition Credits
In That Case: Havruta in Contemporary Art is organized by The Contemporary Jewish Museum, San
Francisco and is curated by Claire Frost.
Major support for The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s exhibitions and Jewish Peoplehood
Programs comes from the Koret Foundation.
About The Contemporary Jewish Museum
With the opening of its new building on June 8, 2008, The Contemporary Jewish Museum ushered
in a new chapter in its twenty-plus year history of engaging audiences and artists in exploring
contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. The facility, designed by
internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, is 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 twenty-first century.
Major support for The Contemporary Jewish Museum’s exhibitions and Jewish Peoplehood
Programs comes from the Koret Foundation. The Museum also thanks the Jim Joseph Foundation
for its major support of innovative strategies for educating and engaging audiences in Jewish
learning. Additional major support is provided by an Anonymous Donor; Alyse and Nathan Mason
Brill; The Covenant Foundation; Gaia Fund; the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation; Grants for the
Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund; The Hearst Foundations; Walter and Elise Haas Fund; the
Hellman Family; the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and
Sonoma Counties; the Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation of the Jewish Community
Federation and Endowment Fund; Osterweis Capital Management; Dorothy R. Saxe; and Target.
For more information about The Contemporary Jewish Museum, visit The Museum’s website at
thecjm.org.
For media information or visuals visit our online press gallery or please contact:
The Contemporary Jewish Museum
Nina Sazevich
Public Relations
415.752.2483
nina@sazevichpr.com
Melanie Samay
Marketing and Communications Manager
415.655.7833
msamay@thecjm.org
Online: thecjm.org/press
General Information
The Museum is open daily (except Wednesday) 11am–5pm and Thursday, 11am–8pm. Museum
admission is $12 for adults, $10 for students and senior citizens with a valid ID, and $5 on
Thursdays after 5pm. Youth 18 and under always get in free. For general information on The
Contemporary Jewish Museum, the public may visit The Museum’s website at thecjm.org or call
415.655.7800. The Contemporary Jewish Museum is located at 736 Mission Street (between Third &
Fourth streets), San Francisco.
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