Asylum Arts presented the first Bay Area Jewish Artist Retreat, which took place from November 11 – 14, 2019. During this intensive four-day program, 28 multidisciplinary emerging Jewish artists from the Bay Area learned from local and international arts professionals, community leaders, Jewish educators, and from one another.
The Bay Area Jewish Artist Retreat empowered artists to explore collaboration and innovative ways to build an integrated local artist community and we facilitated a nuanced conversation about local Jewish culture and identity, appreciating the importance of the complex multiple identities and groups that co-exist. With this retreat, we fostered an artist community founded on reciprocity, collaboration and inclusivity in order to build the Jewish cultural landscape in the Bay Area.
We are pleased to have collaborated with The Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco and the JCC East Bay on this retreat. We are grateful for the support of the Walter & Elise Haas Fund.
Logistics and Program
We spent our 4 days together at the picturesque Ralston White Retreat in Mill Valley, California, located 45 minutes from downtown San Francisco. Meeting at this serene retreat center, away from the distractions of our day-to-day lives, nurtured an environment dedicated to learning, creativity and growth.
Our programming included master artists, community building, and exploration of Jewish history, identity, and wisdom. Additionally, each artist shared their creative work with the community.
