Whether you’re interested in appreciating the Judaica displayed at PAS, visiting art exhibits in and around the city, or participating in hands-on art workshops with our PAS artist-in-residence, the Arts Engagement Committee provides opportunities and programs designed to build art literacy and community.
Summer Excursion
TOUR OF KAWS: TIME OFF EXHIBITION AT THE PARRISH ART MUSEUM
Thu / Jul 25 / 11:00 am / 279 Montauk Highway, Water Mill, NY 11976
Take a tour of the exhibition KAWS: Time Off, a major solo show devoted to the artist KAWS. KAWS is a Brookly-based contemporary artist whose graphic style and iconic characters have gained widespread recognition. This exhibition at the Parrish marks the first KAWS survey on the East End.
This event is sponsored by Women's Network and Arts Engagement at PAS and open to all.
Who We Are
Park Avenue Synagogue has a historic commitment to the arts. The renowned artist Adolph Gottlieb was commissioned to create a façade of the Milton Steinberg house, dedicated in 1954. The synagogue was the first building in the world to have a façade entirely of stained glass. These windows appear throughout our campus today.
Amy Reichert Architecture and Design created many works for our redesign. The highlight was five floors of friezes consisting of great works of art throughout history depicting every parashah (weekly reading) from the five books of the Torah.
The congregation preserves a significant collection of Jewish ceremonial art, Holocaust artifacts, and 20th-century art illuminating Jewish themes, which are exhibited in the 89th Street classrooms and 87th Street third-floor gallery cases. Loan exhibitions of Jewish ritual art are displayed in the 87th Street lobby cases. Our Arts Engagement Committee organizes meaningful educational programs and museum visits to explore how Jewish material culture contributes to our understanding of Jewish history, values, identity, and heritage.
current exhibition
At this difficult time in our history, PAS is responding with two Israel-focused art projects in the lobby of 87th Street.
| Banner of Support for Israel | Hostage Table Installation: Bring Them Home |
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Meet Ellen Alt - Artist in Residence
Ellen Alt is a practicing artist, experienced art educator/consultant, and community artist. As the artist-in-residence at the Park Avenue Synagogue, she facilitates community wide projects that reinforce Jewish educational values through a visual lens. Alt taught creativity and visual arts in the graduate education department and precollege programs at Brandeis University and is a consultant for the Jewish Education Project.
Her artwork is inspired by languages, alphabets, and symbols. Alt’s mixed media work has been exhibited in the U.S., Germany, Russia, China, England, and the Middle East. One of her pieces was presented to Hillary Clinton on the occasion of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan and is in the collection of the White House. Alt also organizes community sculpture and mural projects throughout the world. Her MA in studio art is from New York University and her BFA is from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She holds American and Israeli citizenship and lived in Israel for many years.
Visual Celebration of Prayer - Blessings and Lifecycle Moments
Hiddur mitzvah is the Jewish concept of beautifying the commandments by appealing to the senses. Throughout the years, Ellen Alt, as artist-in-residence, has created visual works that incorporate blessings, prayers, and texts. From Modeh Ani, which is said upon getting up in the morning, to Sh'ma Yisrael, the last prayer of the day, these publications offer a visual inspiration for the text while making the mitzvah of reciting them easy and fun.
Publications include:
| Shabbat Blessings |
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| Blessing for Studying | Omer Counter | |
| Blessing Children | Blessing for Home | |
| Morning Blessing | Sh'ma Yisrael |