Jewish Culture and Arts Fair at the AADL
By Esther Terry
On Sunday, May 31, local Jewish creatives — artists, zine creators, poets, bakers, jewelers, and crafters — filled the lobby of the downtown Ann Arbor District Library (AADL) with an array of sights, sounds, and flavors. The first-ever Jewish Culture and Arts Fair, held to celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, drew 200–250 visitors to celebrate the depth and diversity of Jewish American identity in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and the greater Washtenaw area.
A small team of volunteers, including Deborah Greene, Laura Pasek, Rebecca Wollenberg, and me, organized the fair. It was co-sponsored by The Network | Jewish People of Color in Greater Ann Arbor and the Jewish Community Relations Council. The event showcased the remarkable range of Jewish artistic expression in our local community — and the remarkable range of people who carry it forward. The programming staff of the AADL were instrumental in ensuring the success of the fair through their assistance with logistics and planning.
Visitors browsed watercolors, pastels, and woodcuts by artists including Joan Jones, Andy Schiff, Dennis Gordon, Abby Korotney, and Marie Singer, alongside Nancy Margolis’s evocative photographs of synagogues and Bob Savit’s elegant wood-turned crafts. Jewelers and crafters Rivka Siden, Eva Kubacki, Alana Knoppow, Rachel Newman, and Danny Baskin filled tables with handmade copper and sterling silver jewelry, clay figurines, mezuzot, and woven goods.
Eva Kubacki shared, “As an artist who incorporates Jewish culture into so much of my work, it was so special to have this fair as a place to really celebrate the Jewishness of the work. I always love including education in my art, so it was really lovely to have an audience that was familiar with and/or very excited to engage with what I had to show. I hope that the Jewish Culture and Arts Fair will become a regular staple event!”
Authors Isaac Pickell, Claire Weiner, and Beth Kirschner brought the written word to life, while zine creators Esther Witte and Drewe Haddox offered their distinctive takes on Jewish identities and rituals. Esther Terry’s baked goods — cookies, babka, and sweet breads from her cottage bakery Sweet Molasses Time — disappeared quickly. Younger community members also showcased their art. Visitors enjoyed the vivid anime work of Rose Barinbaum, the humorous drawings of Yahra Goldstein, and whimsical hand-crafted earrings from Sara Wollenberg.
The fair embodied the vision animating Jewish American Heritage Month: that Jewish identity is ancient and contemporary, broadly American, beautifully diverse, and very much alive in Washtenaw County. Rachel Jacobson commented, “What a beautiful way to bring people together and discover all of the talent and beauty in our community. I hope we can make this an annual event.”
If anyone would like to know how to reach the artist, crafters, and creators, please email Esther Terry at [email protected].
