Lesson Seven

Judith Goldstein
Vilno Ghetto, 1994
Mixed Media
51 x 30

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About the Artist

Judith Goldstein is a survivor of Vilno ghetto in Poland and Stutthof and Buchenwald concentration camps. Her father was killed, although her mother and brother survived. Most of her relatives perished at Ponar, a massacre site outside Vilna, which for many years had no commemorative marker. Goldstein's collages are her memories and hopes as she constantly reflects back on her period of captivity. Vilno Ghetto was based on symbols in a ring Goldstein's father made in the ghetto from a silver coin. She managed to keep it, despite searches that necessitated giving up every other possession as she went through Stutthoff and Buchenwald. The collage utilizes the Hebrew letters vov and gimmel, the abbreviation for the Vilno ghetto, as a title for a triangle that incorporates symbols of oppression and dehumanization with a few elements of hope. (The triangle was used as a symbol by the Nazis to mark various "inferior" and therefore persecuted groups, such as homosexuals, gypsies, the disabled, etc.) Vilno Ghetto also contains references to the musical life of the ghetto and to Goldstein's memories of the choir conductor, Dumashkin, who was later killed. Goldstein herself has also explored musical approaches to the Holocaust, having written several songs about her experiences.

In 1941, under the Nazi occupation, most Jews of Vilno were placed in the ghetto. About 50,000 Jews of the city were to to Ponar, a place in the forest outside of Vilno, shot to death and thrown into pits. Most of her family are buried there. At the liquidation of the ghetto in 1943, she was shipped with her mother to concentration camps, and ultimately miraculously survived the experience. Goldstein aims to turn her experiences of horror and degradation into artworks.

Her collages are often compared to Native American works because of their flat, colorful style, shapes utilized, and the collage technique. Vilno Ghetto contains references to the positive culture that Jews attempted to maintain in concentration camps and ghettos, despite the odds. Amazingly, some art produced during the Holocaust itself survived even its creators --- Anne Frank's diary is one well known example.

Interprative Questions

  1. What overall shapes do you see in this image? (The work utilizes the Hebrew letters "vov" and "gimmel", the abbreviation for Vilna Ghetto, overlaying the triangle in reference to the title of the work.)
  2. Find symbols or images in this works relating to art, music, theater, and literature. Find images relating to Judaism itself.
  3. Discuss the issue of the ghettos, and how these areas functioned. What is Judith Goldstein trying to say about culture in the Vilna ghetto?
  4. What is the technique that Goldstein used to make this image? (Collage) Do you think this is a successful technique for pulling in images relating to different art forms?
  5. Note the circle at the top of the collage. What do you see in it? Who are these people (note their dress)?

Art Project Objective

You will create a collage that represents the "community" within your school. Just as Goldstein used the initials of the Vilna ghetto (V and G) to create the shape of her work, the school's name will be implemented to create the overall shape of the work. This shape will then be collaged with smaller, hand drawn or appropriated images

Vocabulary

Collage -- A French term which literally means "glueing" or "sticking," the term is commonly used to refer to a picture made of bits of paper, fabric, or any other material stuck to a surface.

Appropriated image  -- An image drawn from another source. Artists who practice appropriation borrow images or styles from other artists or works of art, typically to make an artistic or political statement.

Community -- A group living in the same area, or having interests, work, religious values, race, or other issues in common

Materials

Procedure

  1. Review the "About the Artist" section and Goldstein's slides. Get an idea of what she was trying to accomplish in her work.
  2. Review the definitions of collage, appropriated images and community.
  3. Consider for a moment that your school is a community, just as the Vilna ghetto was  for Goldstein. The majority of the school exists in one central location and students  share some common goals and beliefs. These are often characteristics of a community.
  4. The name of your school represents that of the community. The basic shape of your  collage will be made up by combining the school's initials into an interesting shape.   Make several sketches experimenting with various block letters. Refer back to how  Goldstein used the letters V and G (Vilna ghetto) to create the shape of her work.
  5. Lightly draw one of the initial designs you have just made onto the 16"x2O" sheet of paper. Be sure to use the entire sheet, making your drawing large.
  6. On a sheet of notebook paper, begin listing the various beliefs and activities that are present within your "community". Using the colored pencils, create small sketches that represent some of these (for example, a basketball and a jersey could be drawn to stand for the basketball team). Next, begin looking through magazines for pictures that could also be used. These sketches and appropriated images will be used to fill in the shape of the school's initials.
  7. Cut out the images you have drawn and gathered. Arrange them within the shape of the letters on 16"x2O sheet of paper. Experiment with various compositions before establishing their final placement. Ideally, the entire shape should be filled with pictures, leaving no white paper showing. You may have to trim your images so they do not spill out over the pencil lines.
  8. Once you have decided on a final arrangement, glue the images down. Try to use as little glue needed to secure the paper. Small dots near the edge are recommended.
  9. Once the collage has dried, fill in any exposed white areas with colored pencils.

Examining Your Work

  1. Explain the type of activities that go on in your school "community." How did you represent these? Which ones relate directly to you? Why?
  2. There are several different types of groups within a community. Often, they share common beliefs, goals, and styles. Describe, compare and contrast some of these subgroups present in your school

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