April 2018: Featured Artist |
|
Artist & Community Art Educator:
Tanya Fredman
~~~
|
Tanya Fredman is an artist and community art educator who makes art as a celebration of life and people. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Tanya moved to Israel in 2011 and currently lives in Kibbutz Shluhot with her husband and two children. Tanya received her studio art degree from Brandeis University and did postgraduate work at The HaMidrasha School of Art in Israel. She has exhibited in many locations in the U.S., including The Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art and The Jewish Education Project in New York, NY. She creates paintings and collages that explore movement, dance, and connections across cultures.
Tanya works with people of all ages to create murals and public art installations that transform spaces and impact communities. She helped create the art program at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village in Rwanda, painted murals with immigrant youth in Israel, and currently works in the education department at the Mishkan Museum of Art in Ein Harod, Israel. |
|
|
|
Balancing 1
Oil on Sculpted Canvas © Tanya Fredman 
Agahozo Shalom Youth Village Community Mural
Rwanda © Tanya Fredman 
Tam (The Simple One)
Oil & Fabric on Canvas © Tanya Fredman |
Balancing 2
Oil on Sculpted Canvas © Tanya Fredman 
Pardes Hanna Community Pole Project
Pardes Hanna, Israel © Tanya Fredman 
We Rise We Fall
Cut Paper and Fishing Wire (Hanging Mobile) © Tanya Fredman |
Closer Look
Oil & Fabric on Canvas © Tanya Fredman |
Inzozi
Oil & Textiles on Fabric © Tanya Fredman |
Myrna Beth Haskell, managing editor, asked Tanya about her work in Rwanda and Israel and her thoughts about how art has impacted those communities.
Could you tell me about the inspiration behind working on art projects with groups of people in communities around the world? What do you hope to accomplish?
Creating art for me is about giving people an opportunity to slow down and to appreciate the world around them – more specifically, to appreciate the people around them. In 2007, during my senior year studying art at Brandeis University, I painted a series of portraits of "unseen" individuals - mainly janitorial and cafeteria workers. I found it very powerful to learn and share these individuals' stories through painting portraits. But I decided that it was not enough to make art about different kinds of people, I wanted to make art with different kinds of people. After graduating from Brandeis in 2008, I went to Israel to volunteer at Yemin Orde youth village, a home for at-risk immigrant youth. At the youth village, I used art to give kids from around the world an opportunity to express their own rich heritages, while beautifying their surroundings and connecting with one another. The kids felt ownership over the murals and mosaics they made, and were proud to share their vision with others.
I have since directed many different community art projects in Rwanda, the US, and Israel, and in each project I seek to give the local community an opportunity to express its unique voice. In my most recent project in the small Israeli town of Pardes Chana, I worked with over 200 community members of different ages and backgrounds to create twelve wooden pillars in a communal park. Each pillar was painted and mosaicked with images and colors representing the diversity of cultures and experiences in the town. I love working with all ages, from small children to elderly men and women, hearing their stories and helping them give color and form to their visions. Through my community artwork, I hope to give people an opportunity to express themselves, make their surroundings more beautiful, and learn about one another.
Could you tell me a bit more about your work in Rwanda with the orphaned children?
In 2009, I went to a small village in Rwanda to volunteer at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) for nine months. ASYV is an amazing place, modeled after Israeli youth villages and designed to be a supportive home and comprehensive learning environment for Rwandan orphans and vulnerable youth. I volunteered at ASYV during its first year, and I had the amazing opportunity to help create an art program, complete with studio art, music, dance, and traditional arts, together with other volunteers and Rwandan staff. We lacked running water and ate mostly rice and beans, but the students' motivation and enthusiasm to learn was incredible. I led the student art club in creating a number of community artworks, including a giant mural along the entire facade of the dining hall which represented the students' hopes for their future. I also learned some basic words in Kinyarwanda and how to do traditional Rwandan dance!
Why does art make such a big impact on peoples' lives?
Looking at art forces us to slow down our frenetic routine and think about what we see and feel. Creating art forces us to reach something deep within us and bring it out for others to see - a challenging yet powerful process. When people come together to make art for their community, they feel more connected to the place in which they live and to one another.
Could you tell me about the inspiration behind working on art projects with groups of people in communities around the world? What do you hope to accomplish?
Creating art for me is about giving people an opportunity to slow down and to appreciate the world around them – more specifically, to appreciate the people around them. In 2007, during my senior year studying art at Brandeis University, I painted a series of portraits of "unseen" individuals - mainly janitorial and cafeteria workers. I found it very powerful to learn and share these individuals' stories through painting portraits. But I decided that it was not enough to make art about different kinds of people, I wanted to make art with different kinds of people. After graduating from Brandeis in 2008, I went to Israel to volunteer at Yemin Orde youth village, a home for at-risk immigrant youth. At the youth village, I used art to give kids from around the world an opportunity to express their own rich heritages, while beautifying their surroundings and connecting with one another. The kids felt ownership over the murals and mosaics they made, and were proud to share their vision with others.
I have since directed many different community art projects in Rwanda, the US, and Israel, and in each project I seek to give the local community an opportunity to express its unique voice. In my most recent project in the small Israeli town of Pardes Chana, I worked with over 200 community members of different ages and backgrounds to create twelve wooden pillars in a communal park. Each pillar was painted and mosaicked with images and colors representing the diversity of cultures and experiences in the town. I love working with all ages, from small children to elderly men and women, hearing their stories and helping them give color and form to their visions. Through my community artwork, I hope to give people an opportunity to express themselves, make their surroundings more beautiful, and learn about one another.
Could you tell me a bit more about your work in Rwanda with the orphaned children?
In 2009, I went to a small village in Rwanda to volunteer at the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) for nine months. ASYV is an amazing place, modeled after Israeli youth villages and designed to be a supportive home and comprehensive learning environment for Rwandan orphans and vulnerable youth. I volunteered at ASYV during its first year, and I had the amazing opportunity to help create an art program, complete with studio art, music, dance, and traditional arts, together with other volunteers and Rwandan staff. We lacked running water and ate mostly rice and beans, but the students' motivation and enthusiasm to learn was incredible. I led the student art club in creating a number of community artworks, including a giant mural along the entire facade of the dining hall which represented the students' hopes for their future. I also learned some basic words in Kinyarwanda and how to do traditional Rwandan dance!
Why does art make such a big impact on peoples' lives?
Looking at art forces us to slow down our frenetic routine and think about what we see and feel. Creating art forces us to reach something deep within us and bring it out for others to see - a challenging yet powerful process. When people come together to make art for their community, they feel more connected to the place in which they live and to one another.
