From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired By Tragedy

At Cincinnati Skirball Museum through May 8, 2022

From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired by Tragedy is the brainchild of Susan Ribnick, co-chair of the Austin Mosaic Guild in Austin, Texas. Just days after the horrific white supremacist terrorist mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018, where eleven people were killed and six were wounded, Ribnick was inspired to use her skills and passion as an artist to help her heal. She reached out to fellow mosaicists and brought together 18 artists of diverse faiths and backgrounds from around the country and the world to create a collection of mosaics that react and respond to the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in the history of the United States. When the pandemic took hold, and this exhibition was delayed, Ribnick expanded her reach, doubling the number of artists and works to the meaningful total of 36—the numerical equivalent of double chai—or life in Hebrew. The mosaics in the exhibition evoke themes ranging from antisemitism and injustice to hope, resilience, and peace.

Artist Rachel Davies felt a personal connection to the Tree of Life massacre: “Snowdrops are often thought to be a symbol of strength, purity and hope. I live in Dunblane, Scotland where snowdrops are one way of remembering the 16 children and their teacher who were killed by a gunman in 1996. I have created these Snowdrops not only as a way to remember the victims of gun violence, but as a symbol of hope and strength for the communities who are left to cope with the consequences of such events.”

From Darkness to Light: Mosaics Inspired by Tragedy is made possible with support from the Ohio Arts Council, InterfaithCincy, The Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue of Xavier University, ArtsWave, and the David and Barbara Kalla Fund of Schwab Charitable.

The Skirball Museum is located on the historic Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 3101 Clifton Avenue, 45220. The museum is open Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 am to 3 pm and Sundays 1 to 4 pm. Proof of vaccination and masks are required. Reservations are recommended by calling 513.487.3231 or emailing awheeler@huc.edu. More information is available on the museum website, http://csm.huc.edu.