Our International group of participants from Vienna, Austria participated in an incredible program called the Giant Art Jam, which was organized by Ellen Alt, a Jewish Artist in New York City. The participants started with a Torah portion and different responses and then incorporated those readings into the art project. The project started with a blank piece of paper and then the participants added four different layers using different types of art materials. During each layer, the participants listened to a different type of music which lent inspiration to their art materials. For the first layer the students listened to liturgical music and used different types of tape as their art material. Next they listened to klezmer music and worked with india ink. For the third layer, the participants listened to some Israeli music and they used Hebrew letter stamps to write whatever they wanted. For the fourth and final layer, the students listened to American and Israeli hip-hop and they used silver sharpies on black paper. Overall, the Giant Art Jam was a huge success! While the students did state that the music was not their style, all the students expressed feeling inspired and connected to the art work. Most of the participants felt like they had a better understanding of Torah portion and stated that they had a lot of fun! There were lots of smiles throughout the whole night and at the end of the night, the participants enjoyed a big dance party!
In this video, Robyn Smith, the International Programs Coordinator, explains the details of the Giant Art Jam and several students express their thoughts on the night.
