The Found Art of Papercutting/The New Jewish Yellow Pages Update
Rockland, Mae Shafter
THE FOUND ART OF PAPERCUTTING MAE ROCKLAND People have been making decorative cut outs—originally of bark and skins, later of paper—for thousands of years. The oldest examples are from the Egypt...
...screen printed versions in limited editions of 100 are also available...
...Lynn Roth 3850 Harvard Skokie, IL 60076 A potter who also makes ceramic necklaces of Hebrew letters strung on a cord...
...Booking agents are: Charles Berg: (617) 254-7652 and Jim Guttman (617) 868-5408...
...They are constantly experimenting, sometimes using three colored papers at a time as overlays...
...Fascinated with the medium, its roots in tradition and its endless design possibilities, she is among those responsible for the current papercut revival...
...What's New For 5742 After the deadline for inclusion in The New Jewish Yellow Pages had passed, I still kept receiving news about people and products...
...New Listings: Services Cable T.V...
...Their designs are usually done in small editions...
...the words "guild" and "union" come up frequently...
...They arc available for commissioned works that then can be reproduced as invitations or illustrations...
...Also a calligrapher, she is currently working on ketubot with paper-cut borders as well as illustrations of biblical stories...
...While political and portrait silhouettes were the rage in England and France, scherenshnitte thrived in Switzerland and Germany (later traveling to North America with the Pennsylvania Dutch) and wycinanki flourished among the peasants of Poland...
...NY 10463 Tsirl Waletzky's papercuts have a purely personal, contemporary quality...
...Also available for weddings and bar mitzvahs...
...Today we witness a tremendous revival of Hebrew calligraphy and, accompanying this, a resurgence of interest in papercutting...
...She does, however, cut them in sizes to fit standard plastic box frames...
...Box 4102 Station A Portland, ME 04101 Artist specializing in stained glass mobiles, panels and window hangings with Jewish themes...
...J.A.C.O.B.'s Letter Editor: Jacob Picheny Jewish Arts Community of the Bay 220 Lee Street Oakland, CA 94610 Annual subscription $5...
...True, my great uncle Layzer, living on Long Island, kept cutting away, and today, over ninety, still continues cutting in his dining room "factory...
...I regret that time and space do not permit me to list more people or to write at greater length about these...
...Use embroidery scissors or the favorite of most papercutters mentioned here: the #11 x-acto blade, and cut away the negative shapes...
...Ychudit Shadur 11-B Alkalai Street Jerusalem, Israel Yehudit Shadur grew up in Milwaukee, studied art in this country and in England and then in 1950 settled in Israel, where she taught art in Sdeh Boker College of the Negev...
...Olivestone Publishing Services 530 West End Avenue New York, NY 10024 Drawing on his extensive background in Jewish publishing, David Olivestone designs, writes and supervises the production of books, journals, newsletters, brochures and catalogues for individuals, companies and Jewish organizations...
...More such groups that truly represent and support the artists' point of view are needed...
...Artists: Craftspeople and Performers In my correspondence with artists in all media—visual and performing —I hear many complaints and grievances, occasionally bordering on gothic horror tales...
...Each group that embraced this enchanting art form infused it with its own motifs, messages and functions...
...Jewish papercuts were particularly popular in Eastern Europe during the 19th and early 20th centuries...
...Box 27241 Golden Valley, MN 55427 Painter of sentimental interpretations of Jewish types and scenes...
...Jack's papcrcuts employ strong, bold shapes and cuts while Jean's are softer and more flowing...
...Box 375 Norwich, VT 05055 This young company started by Marcia Bloomberg, Jerry Fish and Stu Copans is dedicated to serving the needs of rural-dwelling American Jews...
...They are painters and printmakcrs as well as papercutters...
...She uses a variety of papers, ranging from heavy French charcoal paper to ordinary wrapping paper...
...But it took the recent emergence of greater ethnic consciousness to encourage the new generation of Jewish artists to deal with Jewish themes and finally to reacquaint themselves with traditional Jewish art skills...
...After you've gotten the hang of papercutting you'll want to experiment with a variety of papers and will of course become concerned with the presentation and preservation of your work...
...The New Papercutters Rose Ann Chasman 6147 North Richmond Chicago, IL 60659 Rose Ann Chasman's papercuts are largely inspired by folkloric motifs...
...Jean works on the kitchen table and Jack (the lucky one) in a plant-filled studio...
...But like so much else, papercutting seemed— until recently—a cultural casualty of the Holocaust, a forgotten craft...
...Because I'm obsessed with words along with pictures, I've recently started a series of story papercuts...
...Michael Hauptschein 6304 Dahlonega Road Bethesda, MD 20016 Photographer specializing in Jewish musicians, dancers and actors...
...While his work is traditional in the sense that he draws on age-old thematic material and makes the customary Jewish art and ritual objects, his approach is thoroughly personal and innovative...
...Brochures available...
...Varda Freier Levy P.O...
...As we worked at our kitchen table, she would sigh and wish that her own mother and brother Avreml, both known for their artistry, could be with us "to teach you better...
...He has just spent a year in Israel and this will surely be reflected in his new work...
...The Chinese, who probably got it all going, have used a rubber-like pad made of a mixture of melted animal fat and finely ground charcoals as a cutting surface for centuries...
...Ha Yotzer: The Creator: The Jewish American Artist Editor: Theo Stone The Jewish Folk Arts Society David Shneyer, Director 2307 Forest Glen Road Silver Spring, MD 20910 Subscription: $8 per year...
...and 9 a.m.-l p.m...
...Here is a sample of some of the things that cross my desk...
...Drafting supply stores usually carry multi-layer laminated vinyl drawing-board covering material...
...In these, a central medallion contains the screenprinted text of a folktale, and the cutout border serves as illustration...
...This self-healing surface, which can be used indefinitely without scratching, is attached to a drawing board or table with double-stick tape...
...It was there that she began experimenting with paper-cuts...
...They provide pantomime performances for synagogues, Jewish community centers and fraternal organizations...
...The first of these, which includes visits to Czechoslovakia, the Rhine Country, Holland and England, leaves October 15th and returns November 1st...
...Fold the paper in half and draw one half of your design on the paper, making certain that the center line of your drawing is at the fold of the paper and that the symbols you have chosen are well defined in silhouette and touch at the center just enough so that the whole thing doesn't fall apart once it's cut out...
...You may think you cannot draw, but perhaps you can cut...
...But for now it's enough to just begin...
...Mae Rockland 106 Francis Street Brook line, MA 02146 I started papercutting as a child in the East Bronx...
...Open by appointment...
...Jack and Jean Tctalman 1913 Staunton Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 Since Jack and Jean Tetalman met in high school art class "years ago," they have been producing artwork alongside one another as they have built a family and participated actively in Jewish communal life...
...There are others who have just begun to explore this engaging medium...
...The personally escorted group will see Jewish sights and make contact with European Jewish communities, scholars and leaders...
...Many good books and new member deals...
...365 Denver, CO 80237 Fred and Audrey Friedman Marcus, noted Jewish educators, arrange and conduct tours to Europe of Jewish interest 3-4 times a year...
...Publishing The Jewish Book Club 111 Eighth Avenue, Room 501 New York, NY 10011 The Jewish Book Club has been around for a long time but is now under new management (and has gained 2,000 new members since the change...
...She has several designs that can be ordered by mail...
...Write for a free copy of his brochure...
...I will consider custom commissioned papercuts and have other existing designs that can be cut to order...
...your name or pet phrase...
...Some say that Jews began making papercuts in the 18th century, because Elijah the Gaon of Vilna took exception to the universal Shavuot custom of decorating homes and synagogues with foliage, pointing out that it was a gentile practice...
...she accepts commissions...
...Sometimes feelings of isolation are the problem...
...Yonah Weintraub 713 Avenue P Brooklyn, NY 11223 Traditional Orthodox calligrapher specializing in ketubot, bar mitzvah plaques, family trees, monograms, scrolls and awards...
...The traditional Jewish paper-cutter typically directed his efforts towards the making of Mizrahim, Shiviti (devotional panels), amulets of all sorts (particularly those to protect infants and new mothers), Sukkah ornaments, Simchat Torah flags, wedding contracts and Shavuot decorations...
...The people who worked on it are thinking of forming a year-round group to coordinate activities in the Jewish Arts...
...West Coast time...
...David Moss 1235 Peralta Berkeley, CA 94706 I've heard that there is at least a two-year waiting list for commissioned pieces by David Moss, but don't let that discourage you...
...No two are ever alike, but Yehudil does produce limited edition prints of some of her designs...
...Once the book was out, even more folks contacted me...
...At last in several spots around the country groups are forming that are committed to improving communication between Jewish artists and the community-at-large...
...Matt Mitler 5282 Navaho Drive Alexandria, VA 22312 An actor, mime and comedian who also custom-makes soft fantasy sculptures...
...They've devised a very elegant aleph-bet and most of their papercuts are enhanced by a border phrase...
...These paper-cuts are done in limited editions of 18...
...both publish newsletters that would be helpful to artists elsewhere in the country seeking colleagues or thinking of organizing similar groups...
...She used papercuts to help her design embroideries, sometimes sewing directly through the paper onto the cloth...
...For your first attempt, use paper that cuts easily without leaving a ragged edge (most typing paper is fine...
...He also consults in the marketing of Jewish products and books...
...Jewish artists have needed a place and format to work out solutions to the problems they have in common for a long time...
...Travel Jewish Journeys 4505 S. Yosemite Street...
...Encourage them...
...There are several contemporary products on the market that serve paper-cutters' needs quite well...
...Jewish Production Organization for Cultural Events and Theater Michael and Susan Lorge 1710 Madison Evanston, IL 60202 The Chicago Folk Festival this past June was terrific...
...She accepts commissions for new designs and will duplicate papercuts from her repertoire to order...
...His work is truly exquisite...
...Shelby Pizzarro-Portner 3514 Hawthorne Drive Camp Hill, PA 17011 Printmaker, illustrator, available for any illustration jobs...
...Mail Order Mail Order Maven R.F.D...
...Miscellaneous Two delightful additions to Jewish-American pop culture ready to take their place alongside the Pizza Bagel: Jewish fortune cookies and "manuscripts," unsalted mat-zoh stationery...
...Actually, the Jews had been papercutting well before that, as the intricate Purim megillot, wedding contracts, and Mizrahim (panels for an eastern wall) from 17th century Italy, North Africa and the Middle East testify...
...He's done some fascinating layered papercuts as well as mizrahim, maps and texts...
...Following my bobbeh's example, I, too, have used papercuts to help with textile and other design projects (see: The Work of Our Hands: Jewish Needlework for Today and The Jewish Party Book, both Schocken Books Inc...
...My mother, who had grown up in Poland, taught me, saying that while the boys and men made their papercuts with a knife, women usually cut theirs with scissors, just as the Polish women cut wycinanki...
...Cutting boards of high density polyethe-lene, made for fisherman, butchers and professional cooks—or, less expensive, the same material 1/8" inch thick, from your local plastics place...
...Gallery Hakol Yafeh 1556 Tower Road Winnetka, IL 60093 Charlotte Taine and a friend have started a part-time gallery service in an effort to bring quality Jewish crafts to the Chicago area...
...I'm lucky to have a few pieces of my grandmother's handiwork...
...Joan designs and Martin cuts...
...Martin Farren and Joan Benjamin-Fa rr en 146 Pleasant Street Sharon, MA 02067 The Farrens work collaboratively...
...See moment's cover, July/ August 1981...
...A resiliant pad helps your blade last longer, while each gouge in a wooden board tends to make your knife skip next time around...
...The people whose work is described below devote a major portion of their creative effort towards the art of papercutting...
...The cheder boys of Eastern Europe used to tack their drawings to a wooden board for cutting...
...Her works, which draw heavily on traditional motifs and symbols, are intricate almost beyond belief and always innovative...
...sometimes there are serious conflicts of interest between the established Jewish community and the needs of its artists...
...They both stress the planning that goes into each papercul so that it all holds together, and they emphasize the autographic use of the blade, using it much as a pencil or brush...
...Many of her designs are based on traditional mizrahim and amulets...
...Membership in the organization: Regular: $20, Low Income: $10, Sustaining: $50, Patron: $100 and over...
...Their meticulously crafted work draws on midrashic symbology, psalms and biblical lore...
...Tsirl Waletzky 80 Knolls Crescent Bronx...
...A master of design, calligraphy and an assortment of other techniques, David embellishes his tiny (about 5" x 8") vellum cut out amulets with micrography, gold leaf and, sometimes, jewels...
...Marvin London P.O...
...also does very special challah covers and other ritual textiles...
...The Wonder Company 3407 Connecticut Avenue Washington, D.C...
...Rose Ann is a calligrapher and so can embellish a ketubah or other document with her papercutting skills as well as add an appropriate inscription to a papercut...
...The separation of work spaces is great, says Jean "except at mealtimes...
...The oldest examples are from the Egypt of Moses' time...
...Ilene Potashnick 25 Eggert Avenue Metuchen, NJ 08840 Third generation tallit weaver...
...Jews, wherever they found themselves, used papercutting to enhance holiday and life cycle events in order to fulfill the Talmudic mandate: "This is my God and I shall glorify Him...
...The things in their free catalog—books, ritual items and some toys—are selected with an eye to good design...
...She interprets classical Jewish themes by cutting many kinds of papers, often layering them, in a free-flowing style...
...These shows are free to the cable system and include such half hour programs as "Hineni," featuring Rebbitzin Esther Jungreis and "Saturday Night Chai," a mixture of music and entertainment...
...some papercuts are left in their natural state, others are stippled with acrylic paints or detailed with gold illumination...
...But the techniques of Jewish papercuts as we have known them during the last several centuries probably originate in China rather than Egypt, spreading with trade to Iraq, Syria, North Africa and Europe...
...as well as for their own decorative value...
...SABA 56 Clifton Road Newton, MA 02159 SABA is Sandra Michelson and Barbara Rako, who have teamed up to create a line of kippot in a wide variety of fabrics and trims...
...National Jewish Television Joel Levitz, Chairman 2621 Palisade Avenue, Suite 12B Riverdale, NY 10463 Four hours of Jewish programming are broadcast via cable weekly on Sundays, 12-4 p.m...
...price range from $10 to $150...
...If you are tempted to try your hand at it, don't be timid...
...Klezmer Conservatory Band Hankus Netsky, Director 110 Trowbridge Street Cambridge, MA 02139 Hankus Netsky, who teaches in the Third Stream Department at the New England Conservatory of Music, pulled together the Klezmer Conservatory Band...
...New Listings: Artists Toby Baiter 5508 S. Harper Chicago, IL 60637 Weaver of traditional Jewish textiles...
...Emily Warwick, President Jewish Fortune Cookie Company 420 South 19th Street, Suite 19B Philadelphia, PA 19146 Mark Singer Singer and Reed Pop Paper Designs 228 Arch Street Philadelphia, PA 19106...
...Renanah Halpern 6801 University Drive (Apt 2W) University City, MO 63130 A calligraphcr turned papercutter, Rcnanah Halpern knew she was serious about papercutting when she began buying x-acto knife blades in boxes of 100 instead of boxes of 5. Her designs are based on Hebrew verses and Jewish themes: several with Jerusalem motifs...
...If your community has cable and is not receiving these shows, contact your local cable operator and arrangements can probably be made with National Jewish Television...
...Enjoy...
...E.S.T...
...they also consider commissions...
...membership and subscription: $18...
...Lisa Slater 423 Fourteenth Avenue San Francisco, CA 94118 Calligrapher and designer...
...20008 Joe Jeff Goldblatt and Nancy Lynner Goldblatt are the Wonder Company...
...The Jewish Arts Community of the Bay in California and the Jewish Folk Arts Society in Washington, D.C...
...Everyone who hears this Yiddish music group loves it...
Vol. 6 • September 1981 • No. 8
