“The Glory of God and His Creation” features a color acrylic on canvas by Celeste Borah of Fort Myers, Fla., and a black-and-white print on canvas by Ari Baltinester of Pardes-Hanna Karkur, Israel.If you go
› What: “Psalms Beyond Boundaries.”› When: Through Friday, Sept. 30. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays and by appointment.› Where: Jewish Cultural Center, 5461 North Terrace.› Admission: Free.› Phone: 423-493-0270.› Email: atreadwell@jewishchattanooga.com.
“Life Through the Desert” features a high fire stoneware platter by Mark Issenberg of Chattanooga and an oil on canvas by Jacques Sterenberg of Lehavot Haviva, Israel.The Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga has opened an exhibition of works that pairs artists from the American South, including three from Chattanooga, with their contemporaries from the Hadera region in Israel. All used the Book of Psalms as the content, no matter the discipline.
As Federation spokeswoman Ann Treadwell explains, the Book of Psalms is a collection of lyrics that deal with a broad range of subjects concerning the feelings and inner whisperings of people and their community. It is the first book of the Ketuvim, the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament.
The Psalms, she adds, are composed in a language that fuses with the prayers recited by Jews throughout the ages, who viewed Psalms as a portal to hope, consolation and salvation offering encouragement and security.
“One sees that despite the differences between the artist pairs, their cultures and their artistic media, a common denominator unites them, inspired by the Book of Psalms,” says curator Shlomit Hepher of Hadera.