Five Women Panelists on “Contemporary Book Arts” at the Maine Jewish Museum Today.  Jan Owen, Sandy Weisman, Rebecca Goodale, Annie Lee-Zimerle and Jessyca Brockman Were the Panelist.

Jan Owen, a caligraphic book artist from Belfast was a Panelist Today.  She Holds a Sewn Book Made With Linen Thread:  Hannah’s Song.

Annia Lee-Zimerle, Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Southern Maine, was One of the Panelists in the Book Art Panel.

“We (women) get the job done.  We hide so much of who we are still.  There is a direct line from these women from the Old Testament to how we are today,” said Jessyca Brockman, at a standing room only Book Arts panel at the Maine Jewish Museum this afternoon.The five women panelists introduced an exhibit that began earliler this month and runs until April 28, 2022 on the east end of Portland.

The five women artists who came together from all over Maine were invited by show curator Lissa Hunter about a year ago to participate in an exhibition that told Old Testmanet stories about women in book art form. Different women caught the attention of the panelists and their book art reflected why that was so.

Annie Lee-Zimerle said she was “intrigued and scared” at the same time to participate because she is not Jewish as most of the rest of the panel members are.  She has three children and with a career, she does not have time to do art before taking care of her children’s needs.  However, recently from Chicago, she has exhibited  extensively in the mid-west.  “We may look fine on the outside, but you don’t know what is going on behind our smiles,” she said.

Jessyca Brockman said that when she was invited to participate by curator Hunter, she said yes immediately.   Although she is Jewish, she didn’t know anything about these women in the Old Testament.    She learned that they “moved history forward and didn’t get a lot of credit” for their work.

Lissa Hunter, a Portland resident, is an artist who two years ago turned her attention to curating.  In the recent past she curated exhibits at Maine College of Art and Cove Street Arts.  “I love doing it.  It is a very creative activity.  I get to work with artists whose work might not be seen otherwise.”

Nancy Davidson is the curator in residence.  Masks are Required for Entry.  Please call 773-2339 for more information.