ARTISTS' ADVOCACY Letter

ADVOCACY Letter written to leaders of an organization BUT NOT sent.

The artist sent a letter, so I did not. 

I wrote the following to share with you that I have credentials as an interested artist in stating my feelings and truth about injustice against artists.  Usually only the artist and the offender know my thoughts on artists' advocacy. 

I am a Jewish artist. Not only performing as you know me, but VISUAL. In 1965 as a teen, I studied art at the Prado while at the Universidad de Madrid. In the earlier 1960’s I taught art at Jewish centers and camps, and continued part-time over the decades to do that also at Jewish schools (where I was a parent), as well as create art myself, as I do now. At Hebrew University in Jerusalem I studied "Art and Architecture of the Synagogues" and traveled around the world to see it in person.  I even opened/founded an art school for the City of Los Angeles, so little kids had opportunities that had not existed, and was hired as their ceramics teacher. 

I taught art at a Long Island Jewish Hospital affiliated mental Hilside Hospital as an occupational therapist trainee for Columbia University (before becoming a hospital medical social worker so I could be assured of making an income). 

Taught art to adults at Cooper Square Art School, Manhattan. Did my graduate ceramics art on full scholarship at Brooklyn Art Museum upon finishing undergraduate art education.

I opened a Jewish art gallery in the 1980’s and gave every penny earned in profit to a Jewish organization. 

I hired artists to teach at Jewish Women's World, a Jewish educational consortium I directed, and at Timbrels of Miriam, a major LA Jewish conference I organized.

My art is used by many Jewish organizations, as you may know. 

In 1980's I used to lead on buses the popular "Joy’s Jewish Art Tours of LA"! (Even this week in 2019 I'm leading a group to the Skirball Cultural Center.)

I love guiding/teaching art, photography on "Joyous Nature Photo Walks". 

Each month I participate in a local women’s art/craft group. I post almost daily for a few years, my own art ("Revealing G*d’s Face") on FaceBook, with intention to try to bring joy, beauty and light to our tough world, especially in tragic, troubling times.  For years I was on the Board of the San Fernando Valley Arts Council, etc. etc. etc. Founding member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, DC. I continue to exhibit my art at Jewish institutions and galleries.  The Jewish Federation and AJU own my exhibited art.

You see where my spirit, mind, heart, and hands are.

I am an artists’ advocate and have been for decades. Some stories on the arts I wrote were syndicated/published in world-wide hard copy newspapers.  For a dozen years as ARTS Editor of  the Jewish Calendar Magazine, I wrote a monthly column in LA'a only Jewish magazine, and starting in 1980 published my own arts newsletter, Kid Kulture. Blessed, I know a lot of Jewish artists.  (I only took the Magazine job so that I could publish poetry from Holocaust survivors and help ssoothe their souls.) 

My University of Judaism/UJ/AJU MBA thesis was To Preserve and Energize the ARTS in Los Angeles into the 21st Century.  My expressed plan after MBA was to be a director at the Skirball Cultural Center, or at CalArts where the college president knew my intention, and the Federation's Artists’ Commission director was waiting to hire me. The UJ's Executive VP asked to hire me and run their Art gallery, etc.  My husband, z”l, was too ill for my dreams and goals to manifest. Instead for years, I was Caregiver Angel Warrior.

Today I do art with my little artist granddchildren. I happily critique, guide, assist and mentor artists. 

I’ve never before written out this extensive list. I add to it that my parents, grandmother, sister of blessed memory, and daughter and granddaughters are artists. L'Dor V'Dor.

Something else you probably don’t know is that I am a personal friend of Chabad artist Rabbi Yitzhok Moully. 

This is WHY I am writing to you now. 

You, leaders of an LA organization, have used Moully's Shofar art on your lovely artistic High Holy Days invitation front cover. 

I love you

but

you really need to know that it hurts me deeply to see that you have used (again) an artist’s CREATION to advertise your events and have NOT GIVEN THE ARTIST ANY CREDIT for what you have taken and used. 

Moully did not give you permission to use © his fine art. (I have helped Moully hang this painting.)

This mamash hurts me that a shul I do truly love has taken advantage of an artist, and during the '9 Days' before Tisha B'Av.

On the very back cover you offer to honor the deceased, but you’ve neglected in this case, to honor the living artist. 

I know you honor people every day.... but this advocacy, justice is my passion so I write to you. 

Over the few years you are much better in giving proper acknowledgement to the artists, since I first called attention to a similar omission. 

Artists earn their livelihood by selling. 

Moully works very hard at sharing his artistry and enlivening our Jewish consciousness and sensibilities. 

If you have time, please read the 1987 essay I wrote on "SUPPORTING ARTS".

http://joys-prose.blogspot.com/2006/11/supporting-arts.html

Shavua Tov

With love and blesSings, 

Your friend and artist, 

Joy Krauthammer