Call to artists for Oct 7th event
“I found that I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say in any other way—things I had no words for.” — Georgia O’Keeffe
Three years after October 7, 2023, many of us are still carrying experiences and emotions that can be difficult to put into words: grief and fear, anger and longing, love and loss, connection, resilience, hope, and questions that remain unresolved.
Sometimes art can hold what words cannot.
JCVT would like to bring Vermont’s Jewish community together for a one-hour memorial gathering and exhibition, hosted simultaneously online for people throughout the state and in person at the Jewish Community of Greater Stowe called Remembrance: Art in the Wake of October 7
If you have created visual art in response to, or shaped by, the events of Oct 7th, we invite you to share it with us. Original poetry and music would be welcome as well.
We will be holding space for remembering and grieving together using art as a catalyst.
The work does not need to convey a particular message or perspective. It might hold grief, remembrance, rupture, connection to Israel, concern for human life, Jewish identity, anger, uncertainty, healing, hope—or something for which you still do not have words.
Artwork will be shared in digital format with those gathering in person at JCOGS as well as with people joining online from across Vermont. Depending on the number of submissions, we may also invite several artists to speak briefly about their work during the memorial.
To submit, please send:
A digital image of your artwork
Your name and the title of the work
Medium and year, if applicable
A brief artist’s statement about the work (2-3 sentences)
Please send submissions to events@jcvt.org by EOD Monday, October 5th.
This is an invitation to bear witness through art, while honoring and holding space for the many emotions (and to make room for the many ways) members of the Vermont Jewish community have experienced and carried the weight of these past three years.
Note: this is an expressly apolitical experience. All emotions are welcome.
This is the first of what we hope will be an annual event.