Samantha Baskind Cleveland State University (Cleveland, OH 44115-2214)
FB-54176-09
Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars
Research Programs
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[Grant products][Media coverage]
Totals:
$50,400 (approved) $50,400 (awarded)
Grant period:
9/1/2009 – 8/31/2010
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Jewish Artists and the Bible in 20th-Century America
This project looks at several Jewish American artists' exploration of the distinctive and largely overlooked theme of biblical imagery. The project will fill this significant gap and will contribute to the material culture of American religions, areas of current interest as evidenced by recent scholarship. Additionally, the project will bring several critically ignored artists to attention. My goal is to expand and complicate the canon of American art by asking the following questions: Why did these artists exhibit a propensity toward biblical subjects? Why is there not a similar corpus of biblical art by non-Jewish artists? What does this work have to do with the American art historical narrative? How does this work critique the then-existing social order(s), life in the Diaspora, and the Jewish American assimilation experience?
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