The Contemporary Jewish Museum Presents Tikkun: For the Cosmos, the Community, and Ourselves

Thursday, December 9, 2021 (San Francisco, CA) — The Contemporary Jewish Museum (The CJM) is excited to present Tikkun: For the Cosmos, the Community, and Ourselves, the twelfth iteration of The Dorothy Saxe Invitational. On view February 3–June 5, 2022, Tikkun is an original exhibition that brings together works by thirty contemporary artists from throughout the Bay Area.

The Dorothy Saxe Invitational is The CJM’s longest-running exhibition commitment and invites artists from a variety of backgrounds to explore a Jewish object or concept within the context of their own medium and artistic philosophy. Continuing the tradition of The Dorothy Saxe Invitational, all artworks on view in this exhibition will be for sale, with proceeds benefiting the artists and The CJM’s mission and exhibition programming. For this iteration, which is co-organized by Assistant Curators Arianne Gelardin and Qianjin Montoya, the participating artists will create works that engage with the Jewish concept of tikkun (Hebrew for “to repair”) as a phenomenon of care and interconnectedness that is grounded in personal action, environmental responsibility, and community practice.

The exhibition will feature a group of artists that reflect the vibrancy and diversity of the arts community in the San Francisco Bay Area, including: Angela Hennessy, Beth Grossman, Bonanza, Carissa Potter, Clare Rojas, Connie Zheng, Gay Outlaw, Geralyn Montano, Jillian Crochet, Jose Arias, Lava Thomas, Leah King, Leah Rosenberg, Lisa Kokin, Liz Hernández, Maria Guzmán Capron, Maria Paz, Miguel Arzabe, Nicki Green, Nicole Phungrasamee Fein, Ocean Escalanti, Rachelle Reichert, Ramekon O’Arwisters, Terri Friedman, Tosha Stimage, William Scott, Woody De Othello, and Yétúndé Olagbaju.

“We are honored to bring together such a talented group of local artists for this exhibition,” said co-curators Arianne Gelardin and Qianjin Montoya. “This iteration of The Dorothy Saxe Invitational offers us a unique opportunity to focus on our local community and to amplify the voices of some of the most talented and thoughtful artists working in the Bay Area today. ‘Tikkun’ is a concept that is employed widely throughout Judaism, both on a religious and secular level, and offers a very meaningful starting point for exploring our current moment in time. From social justice to physical healing to repairing our earth, a relationship, or material object, the word has myriad interpretations and we are looking forward to reflecting on this idea through the creative output of these artists.”

In this moment of profound challenges and uncertainty, Tikkun re-examines the term in a contemporary context, unfixed from its evolving meanings throughout history. This approach pays particular attention to how tikkun can help us look critically inward and outward to guide us through change and build resilience for the hard work of repair that we still have ahead. The exhibition will provide a meaningful lens through which to look at our current moment, and to shed light on the ways in which Jewish values continue to resonate in our contemporary culture.

Lead Sponsorship of The Dorothy Saxe Invitational is generously provided by George Saxe, z”l, in honor of Dorothy R. Saxe. Generous support is also provided by Grants for the Arts. 

About The Contemporary Jewish Museum

For over thirty years The CJM has engaged audiences and artists in exploring contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture, history, art, and ideas. In 2008 The Museum opened a new building designed by internationally renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, providing a lively center where people of all ages and backgrounds can gather to experience art, share diverse perspectives, and engage in educational 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 CJM is generously provided by Craig Newmark Philanthropies; Bank of America; Gaia Fund; Grants for the Arts; Irving and Eleanor Jaffe Foundation; Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund; Maribelle and Stephen Leavitt; Joyce B. Linker; Alexandra O. Moses; The Bernard Osher Foundation; Dorothy R. Saxe; Seiger Family Foundation; Ruth S. Stein; and Roselyne C. Swig.

Major support for The CJM Helen Diller Institute is generously provided by The Helen Diller Family Foundation.