Tikkunim: Jewish Roots/Ecological Art

Conservation—is it good for the Jews? Water and anything green are critical resources in Israel. Here, 10 Jewish artists explore the Hebrew concept of “tikkun olam,” which might be freely translated as “take care of what’s precious to you.” Delicate, twiggy, hand-painted remnants of Christmas trees (!) are the medium for Ilene Sunshine; she scavenges the Yuletide carcasses in January dries the denuded limbs, and further adorns them with colorful string and yarn. They’re like Native American spirit catchers, though from a different tradition. Ruth Wallen prefers frogs—she makes endangered reptiles the subject of echt-classroom tableaux, photographs, and ersatz ad copy. (One milk-carton toad asks, “Have you seen me?”) George Ostrow’s full-size sukkah hut, used to celebrate Sukkot, is made of reclaimed scrap lumber. Inescapably, it bears a disturbing resemblance to Ted Kaczynski’s Unabomber shack. Best in show are the fake magazine panels and vintage ads hacked by Beverly Naidus. They’re like old LIFE magazine spreads that, at first glance, celebrate business. Read closer, and she’s interpolated Barbara Kruger-style comments. In one pro-industry nuke-vertorial (as if for GE or Union Carbide), an infertile woman despairs, “Why is this epidemic happening?” A half-century later, we have a pretty good idea. BRIAN MILER

Tuesdays-Saturdays. Starts: April 2. Continues through May 2, 2009