We had an incredible event last week at spinnboden lesbian archive where workshop participants and admirers gathered to enjoy the absolutely stunning art created during this project. Thank you to all who came and helped make this happen ! It meant so much ! Photos by Rocket Loam
Below is an expert from my reflection speech:
“I called this project passing the paintbrush, referencing the Hebrew phrase L’dor v’dor or from Generation to generation found in many of our daily prayers. I asked myself how can I create spaces and opportunities for people to learn about Jewish queer art history in Germany in an engaging and compelling way, passing on this flame of knowledge vital for our survival, and keeping this history alive and relevant.
I envisioned a line of succession from one generation to the next, handing this creative tool , this paintbrush, down into 2024 so that we can take up the mission to create together, and not forget what happened in the not so distant past. I was able to combine using biographies of these Ebel, Laserstein, and Sandmann to bring up topics about discrimination and misogyny in the art world, Jewish boycotts of the 30s, exile into Sweden and Czechoslovakia, Raubkunst, Trans life in Berlin, socialist realism, Judisch Kultur Bund, Lesbian organizing after WW2 in berlin, and much much more.
I facilitated three workshops and made three audio documentaries on Gertrude Sandmann, Lotte Laserstein, and Toni Ebel. I wanted to do this project after facing rising discrimination and dwindling opportunities as a Jewish artist, and wanted to provide jobs for other artists and a space for people of all kinds and backgrounds and artistic experiences who wanted to learn about Jewish queer history to come and feel able to experiment and learn something. I believe that learning individual stories of experiences of the Shoah is an important response to rising fascist movements. We have to remember our histories to create a better world today.
I did not know who to expect would come to these events, and I was very happy at the outcomes. People attended the workshop who had a lot of experience painting, and also people came who had not picked up a paintbrush in decades. The wide variety of life journeys made the workshops even more beautiful and richer. The majority of people had never heard of the artists we learned about before attending the workshop.
We created opportunities for conversation and reflection and people were able to feel able to ask questions, start discussions, and share their own artistic insights. At the end of each workshop, there was a striking sense of pride that was shared in the room as everyone was able to see the incredible artwork they had made.
The turnout and response have been amazing. About 20 people participated in these workshops, with hundreds more listening to the audio docs online. This way the life stories of these three women were spread and told to more people, and inspired some really incredible art that you see today. The works in front of you were created under the guidance of guest art teachers and experts who shared about the life story of the artists and in the second part of the workshop, led practical art instruction. Afterwards participants took home art supplies and were able to continue building their creative practice.
I hope these workshops will become a regular occurrence and more and more art will be created in this world, and more artists will be remembered for their full histories as queer and Jewish individuals.”
You can listen to the Passing the Paintbrush podcast on all platforms you can listen to podcasts, including YouTube! Give it a listen and review and support Jewish queer art history research! Www.passingthepaintbrush.wordpress.com
Project funded by demokratie in der mitte and hosted by spinnboden
Mycelium Memory 