Off the Wall: Artists at Work is a two-week open studio project featuring eleven artists creating and performing in the museum. In this live art laboratory, different groups of artists will develop a work-in-progress each week. We will also showcase their fashion designs, music, performance art, and video that already exists. The artists in Off the Wall represent a new generation that creates and participates in alternative Jewish communities but may not have an affiliation with synagogues or mainstream organizations. Jewishness is one aspect of their multiple identities and at times has an instrumental role in their art. Their Judaism is playful, performative, and wired for the internet. Some artists use irony and pop culture references, some draw inspiration from liturgical and spiritual sources, and some combine both. For many artists, especially those working in music and fashion, Off the Wall is their first venture in museum territory. For The Jewish Museum, it is the first time artists are using our galleries as workspaces open to the public.

Off the Wall Events on Sunday afternoons and Thursday evenings include concerts, salons, a runway show, a poetry slam, and parties. But much of what goes on will be spontaneous, so use your ticket again for free admission each week and bring your digital camera and post your photos on our web site. One of our goals is to create fresh dialogue about art making, the changing definitions of Jewish observance, and the role of the museum. So talk to the artists. Talk to staff. Talk to each other. Blog in the lounge. Join the parties. Go off the wall.

March 16-27, 2008
Sun-Wed 11am-5:45pm
Thu 11am-Midnight