Thursday, February 16, 2023 | 5–8pm
ADMISSION: Free and open to all with advanced RSVP
Join us for an evening of conversation and art to celebrate Cara Levine: To Survive I Need You to Survive, the highly-anticipated first museum solo exhibition of California-based artist Cara Levine. Hear from the artist in person during a conversation with exhibition curator Qianjin Montoya, then head to the galleries to explore artworks that draw on Jewish tradition and social practice to employ creativity as a path to healing. Enjoy a light nosh, explore art, and discover new insights into the artwork as we welcome the exhibition to The CJM.
This event is free and open to all. Kindly RSVP February 12. Please make sure to check our health and safety guidelines before you arrive.
Questions? Please contact rsvp@thecjm.org or call 415.655.7824.
5–8pm
Light refreshments will be served.
6:30–7pm
Seating is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
8pm
For the artwork Carve; The Mystic is Nourished From This Sphere, Levine will collect notes submitted by the public that share what grief they are experiencing, and create a symbolic adaptation of the ritual of shiva—the first seven-day mourning period in Judaism following the loss of a loved one in which community gathers to comfort the mourner—by carving the notes onto the surface of the artwork. The artwork will remain a working site for the artist and the public to continue adding to the work throughout the remainder of the exhibition.
To participate, please respond to the prompt "Today, I am grieving..." with a few handwritten words or a drawing. Submit a close-up and clear photo of your note and email it to curatorial@thecjm.org.
Cara Levine: To Survive I Need You to Survive explores loss, empathy, and equity through sculpture, video, and socially engaged practices. Grappling with some of the most pressing issues of our time, including police brutality, climate change, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the California-based artist uses her artistic practice as a means to explore and process grief around personal and collective traumas. The resulting works highlight how creative endeavors can facilitate healing and help mourners find meaning in community with one another. Drawing on Jewish traditions, community practice, and interconnectedness, the exhibition invites visitors to explore installations and sculptural works that plumb the depths of the intimate and universal experiences of grief and regeneration.
Support for Cara Levine: To Survive I Need You To Survive is generously provided by Grants for the Arts.
Header image: Header image: Cara Levine, DIG: A Hole To Put Your Grief In, 2021. Shalom Institute, Malibu, CA. Photo: Nir Yaniv. Courtesy the artist.
Exhibition image: Cara Levine, Grief To Fill A Room With, 2021. Courtesy the artist.