In this 3-part series, we step into the fascinating worlds of contemporary artists who blend age-old traditions with today’s technologies. Each episode brings to life a different story, from art made using cutting-edge tech, memories captured in tangible forms, to the timeless beauty of old-school calligraphy. Dive in with us and meet three incredible artists who are giving a fresh twist to how we see and understand art.

Session #1 – Tuesday October 17, 2023
Liat Segal – Technology, Intimacy, Alienation & Identity
Contemporary Media artist Liat Segal observes human existence in an age of Big Data and asks questions about intimacy vs. alienation, control, identity, memory, presence, and communication. In her art practice, she is materializing the digital, using software, electronics, mechanics, and information as materials. Segal will share about her trajectory, practice, and works, including the artwork ‘Impossible Object’ that was launched to the International Space Station (ISS), where it was activated while orbiting Earth 420 KM above ground. Segal will also share a sneak peak to her upcoming shows to be exhibited in LA in 2024, combining data pulled from the current events in Israel. Liat Segal, a contemporary media artist, fuses together art and technology. Graduated M.Sc. studies in Decision Analysis and Complex Systems (Minerva Schools KGI, San Francisco, 2017) and M.Sc. in Computer Science and Biology (Tel Aviv University, 2007). Segal worked as a researcher at Microsoft Innovation Labs and today she is a faculty member at the Bezalel School of Arts and Design. Her artworks have been exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide, including the Israel Museum (Jerusalem) and Bundeskunsthalle Museum (Bonn), as well as onboard the International Space Station. Segal is the recipient of the Minister of Culture and Sports Award for Plastic Arts, Israel, as well as the Jury Selection Award by the Japan Media Arts Festival.

Session #2 – Tuesday November 21, 2023
Hagar Cygler – Family, History and Split Narratives
The story of an apartment building in Poland owned by the artist’s family is the departure point for an intimate look into Jewish and Israeli identity and heritage. Starting in 2017 at a residency in POLIN museum in Warsaw, Hagar Cygler explored her personal history through objects and images found in local flea markets, creating an installation and a booklet. This deep dive into her family history continued in 2019 in Lodz and later at the Yiddishland Pavilion in Venice, with materials from the city’s archive regarding the actual building. This journey led to an exhibition and artist’s book with the final part manifested in a handmade book, published earlier this year. In the program we’ll travel with Hagar through her own research and art, placing emphasis on the intersections between personal-national-religious identities, how they translate over time and continents and the unique connections between art and archives. Hagar Cygler is a graduate of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design (BFA, 2006) and the California Institute of the Arts (MFA, 2017).Cygler works in the larger context of archives and collections, focusing on the classification and reorganization of material and information. Her focus is on personal and historical memory, and by connecting photographs with personal and anonymous objects, she explores the act of collecting and its role within the archive as cultural memory.

Session #3 – Tuesday December 19, 2023
Karny Rivlin Vorona – “LeDor VaDor: Illumination as Interpretation”
After nine years of dedicated work, Karny Rivlini Vorona completed her latest project – “LeDor VaDor” – a book of Haftarot for Shabbat, with a new approach and a fresh look at traditional texts. Each of the calligraphed and illuminated 55 pages (measuring 22″ x 30″) draw inspiration from the texts of the haftarot, the parashiot, and historical events that coincided with her work on this book. In this program we’ll dive into the world of visual interpretation, explore what led Karny to this endeavour and look at the twists and turns it presented until it’s completion. A well-known Calligraphy artist, Karny Rivlin was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, where she worked as a drafts-person and designer with some of the well known architects in Israel. Her studies spanned from art classes in Israel, Toronto at the Koffler Center for the Arts, Architecture and Design at Ryerson University and more as well as calligraphy studies with some of the best known Calligraphers in North America and Europe. Her Calligraphic artwork as well as her watercolour paintings and jewelery are in private collections worldwide.

CSP Partners: Beth Israel (San Diego, CA), Beth Israel Congregation (Waterville, ME), Center for Small Town Judaism (Waterville, ME), Congregation Adath Jeshurun (Elkins Park, PA), Congregation B’nai Tzedek (Fountain Valley, CA), Congregation B’nai Israel (Tustin, CA), Jewish Collaborative of Orange County, Temple Bat Yahm (Newport Beach, CA), Temple Beth David (Westminster, CA),Temple Beth El of South Orange County (Aliso Viejo, CA), Temple Beth Ohr (La Mirada, CA), Temple Beth Shalom (Needham, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Hull, MA), Temple Beth Sholom (Santa Ana, CA), Temple Emanuel (Newton, MA), Temple Judea of Laguna Woods, CA,  Town & Village Synagogue (NYC, NY), University Synagogue (Irvine, CA), Valley Beth Shalom (Encino, CA) & Walnut Street Synagogue (Chelsea, MA)