Rabbi Mychal Copeland on the Tabernacle

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In this series of in-gallery talks, explore the rich, multifaceted meanings behind Nicki Green: Firmament—an exhibition infused with profound Jewish religious and cultural themes. Some pieces, such as kosher dill pickle fermentation vats, narrate stories of cultural heritage, while others, like large-scale sculptures of the four archangels, evoke the mystical elements of Jewish tradition. Enhance your understanding of Firmament through brief gallery talks led by Rabbis and Maggids, offering deeper insights into the captivating artworks on view.

Nicki Green: Firmament

Transdisciplinary artist Nicki Green’s first museum solo exhibition delves into questions of identity, transformation, and reinvention of Jewish traditions through new and existing artworks in ceramic, installation, fiber, and more. Inspired by the concept of the firmament—a dividing form referenced in the Torah that separated the earth from the heavens—Green reimagines the gallery space as an environment of welcome and liberation centering trans and nonbinary bodies. Artworks rendered primarily in clay feature motifs that act as metaphors for regeneration, transformation, and resilience—concepts that have informed Jewish thinking and practice for thousands of years. By reclaiming parts of her Jewish upbringing, reinventing functional forms of ceramic objects, and reimagining ways of embracing different genders and sexualities, Green challenges and expands the binary limits of our society. 

Support for Nicki Green: Firmament is generously provided by Kristin Eriko Posner and Bryan Posner. The Contemporary Jewish Museum is supported in part by a grant from Grants for the Arts.