Fiber artist Laurie Gross, whose work is currently on display in Schatten Gallery, often cites the words of Martin Buber: "All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware." Gross, whose talent for weaving has put her on a very personal and religious journey to her Jewish roots, has discovered that her own "secret destination" is one of historical and artistic meanings. Stating that there was no model for Jewish art, Gross has endeavored to articulate with her work just what Jewish art should be.
That journey began 15 years ago and continues today to enrich her life and touch those of many others. Starting with the tallit (Jewish prayer cloth), Gross discovered that the simple element of densely woven linen cloth stood as the image of an individual in a prayer shawl. From that origin point, she created various combinations that recall Jewish community and tradition.
A second departure point in 1982 was the image of the winged cherubim adorning the art-cover of the holy Tabernacle, also derived from biblical text. Additional links are made by her choice of linen as a primary medium (As for the Tabernacle, make it of 10 strips of cloth, make these of fine (twisted) linen... Exodus 26:1). The divine choice for the Tabernacle curtains and priestly garments, linen also was the fiber used for the tallitot of the masses during antiquity. Inspired by biblical and post-biblical Jewish writings, the themes in her work touch on many images of Jewish life: religious observance, life cycles, peoplehood and historical events.
Like the Jewish experience itself, Gross' art brings together past, present, future, ancient and modern history, the temporal and the prophetic, the physical and the spiritual. Her 1992 exhibit, "Of Fine Linen: The Art of Laurie Gross," was The Jewish Museum of San Francisco's major original exhibition that year. One-hundred works from private and institutional collections were brought together for the first retrospective of the nationally acclaimed artist. She has exhibited her work in numerous Judaic institutions including the Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and New York; the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia; and the B'nai B'rith Klutznick Museum in Washington, D.C. Her work also is included in the collections of many U.S. synagogues.
A display of Gross' art titled "Weaving the Spirit" is on exhibit in Schatten Gallery through Jan. 31. The exhibit is free and open to the public. For more information, call 727-6861.
-- Joyce Bell