Healing Bridges art

Commissioned Poets & Visual Artists 

A visual-literary art exhibit that engages Jews of Color, white Jews, and non-Jewish Black artists in a collaborative journey culminating with a series of events reflecting on how visual and literary art influence our perceptions, feelings, and thoughts about each other.  

Two years ago, Rain Pryor had an idea to broaden conversations that explore racial divides and issues between Jews and African Americans in Baltimore City. She brought the idea to the Jewish Community Center CEO Barak Hermann, visual artist and poet Lenett Partlow-Myrick (aka Mama Nef), clinical psychologist Kohenet Dr. Harriette E. Wimms, and JCC’s Chief Arts Officer Sara Shalva. It took only one lively meeting for Rain’s idea to blossom. Almost nine months later, with Rain and Mama Nef serving as co-curators and Sara and Harriette as co-producers, the team witnessed the potency of a good idea created for the greater good. 

Healing Bridges Across the Divide: Baltimore brings together Jews of Color, white Jewish, and non-Jewish African American artists in a collaborative process of addressing our historical experiences, unspoken issues, and possibilities for solidarity. We are grateful for the commissioned poets and visual artists who shared their stories: Anson Asaka, Jude Asher, Dominique Butler, Dr. Schroeder Cherry, Justin Orlando Fair, Michael Glaser, Jey Le Rey, Jadi Z. Omowale, Benjamin Shalva, Valerie A. Smith, A’Niya Taylor, and Art Vandelay. 

The Healing Bridges exhibit first opened in 2023 at the JCC two weeks after the Hamas attack on Israelis. The global discourse that ensued from Israel’s counterattacks were focal points of intense conversations at our opening and closing events. We realized that people also wanted to talk about their experiences and memories inspired by the visual art and poetry. They, too, have stories about Black and Jewish relations across generations that are valuable pieces of our collective Baltimore story. 

The poets and artists featured in this exhibit demonstrate what is possible when artists have a space and financial support to tell their stories. Witness how their truth and vulnerability enable us to see each other, to stand in the uncomfortable complexities of human relations with hope, courage, respect, peace and the will to love. Healing Bridges Across the Divide: Baltimore is an invitation to experience that connection here at Third Space with people in our community. Witness for yourself. 

Download the Exhibit Book here.

Join us for the exhibit reception on February 20th.

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