paul welcomed to mosaic and rabbi eric and an honor to your host this morning we're about to have a wonderful conversation about jewish museums in the bay area. and it's started want to introduce you to to people from the man is collection in berkeley for and just francesca who is the curator of the collection and the director of the madness collection welcome all of and francesco. jump in and ask what is the collection? is the result of what use to be the museum that started in berkeley coming from 1962 so for

50 years this was an independent jewish museum that saw was one of the first jewish museums in the country and has what was considered to be the third largest collection of jewish artifacts and regional history. in 2010 it wins through major transformation into became the first jewish collection of sorts to be come part of a public university and now is the collection of jewish art and life at the university of california at berkeley. people don't know but that collection is really a well known for lots of innovations in both its concept and the collection and always it's become an educational as a model for the country of getting this

latest incarnation of really moving in to a university setting is quite to where you can create in talk a little bit about how that came what division is in that context. this collection has been used a variety of ways for the first 50 years of its history and has innovated the perception of jewish life in the country focusing on local and to was the first regional jewish historical society in the country but also global and it was collected widely across the globe on the north african side and also in india probably one of the largest suppositories to it innovated the perception about what jewish life was about four longtime as a joint uc- berkeley it becomes one of the things that its founders really had in mind becomes a research resources and opens up beyond the jewish community it opens up to all kinds of research and

interest from the campus one of the most thriving campuses in the country so we have connections with scholars, and students. who are interested in a variety of topics that are a variety of areas studies don't think in the study north africa, they have the possibility sabean, the collection that is in multiple languages and multiple formats in multiple cultures. so does present a really different kind of vision for what a museum is all about and how it can be of service to the community. we try to think about it and in as many ways this can as we're launching an ad campaign for the reopening one of the tab once was what is it? it's a museum. we think about it as a library of objects were opening a collection study room where people and scholars and students

can come in and directly study objects so has a very large table where large things can be unfolded or presented and lots of storage to put boxes because nobody knows when happens behind the scenes but all of these objects have to be stored somehow into if you have an object this big in view if you think about this a tort case it would be created so we need space for all that's and one of the interesting things about what we did with this project is that we made the storage of the collection visible is behind glass but when you walk into you notice for the collection sets beyond words exhibited in spite cases such say somebody wants to come to the museum how does it work to participate in a collection that is also a study room? there are several ways to access the museum's we have a exhibition proper program from the permanent collection and we

also have a gallery for changing exhibitions and not necessarily collections related and we do have a gallery hours that's it's free and open to the public wednesday through sunday 12 to 4 so additionally we have the program of events and public programs from luxurious to symposiums to performances in collaborations with other jewish cultural institutions so, for the first time have the space to set about 250 people for concerts and performances. and just one moment.

fat welcome back to mosaics that's rabbi baruch weiss in board honored to be your host this morning were in the middle of a conversation about jewish museums in the bay area and about the magnus collection in berkeley california with francesco the curator of the collection in to the director of the madness collection we're talking about how of the university setting also lots of different ways if you cannot access its holdings can you let us know a little bit more about what people can do to come to the madness and how they can access the collection other than what we might think of as a traditional museum exhibition? to equate to the right to sublet their research aspect. the nine this collection is

not located in downtown berkeley between bart and campus so became extremely accessible from a physical point of view it's about 18,000 square feet and people seem to like the facade ensigns which let up at night. people can come in every week that we have opening hours and can enjoy the exhibitions but they can also took time to do research there will go on to the time to come in and they will need to objects from the collection who should come into this? students call grades and we do a lot of requests from campuses in from a variety of campus groups will also use them for public programs and for teaching. and currently teaching a class for

the music department so it's 50 students coming in twice a week and we studied together in modern israel. in the fall when the study room will open people actually people who have donated in the past will be able to come in and find their limbs of their families. the appeal to go in there already to appeal to the one campus where the archives of the papers of the bay area jewish community and all california are now accessible. to they have regular opening hours and became accessible to the public. to equate to a schoolteacher in a public school or the case who wants to come into include the madness in their teaching in the classroom and they can bring their second grade students to come and to visit with but a session be more directly in contact with jewish culture and the madness

collection is so unusual and unique in that houses the collection of the lives of real folks here in the bay area so what if somebody is out there thinking i have some significant pieces of art center of paper and ephemera can they call a madness up and down a stepfamily material to the madness? we absolutely will continue to collect actively and set 1 can go to the web sites and there's a button that says how to do materials and just what form and let us know what kinds of materials. there will be guided. what kind of material does the madness like to have? will give you examples of bad in recent months months and somebody had received your friend years ago ends had been in her garage for some time in amazing 1920's typewriter since

which was then photographs a very collector of artifacts from the jewish community to meet and ends donated it about 15 objects mostly jewelry and bridal decorations like decorations from jewish weddings and north africa and the recently it acquired the records of the goldman fund so that's all the records of the amazing philanthropic activities will be made available at the library and will be studied by researchers scholars and some on a variety of topics. to equate to francesco believer not recommend to the end of our time together and let people know and equipment before we go to break again how they come to that's madness collection itself? the easiest thing is to come on parts we have a half

block away from downtown berkeley by parts in downtown berkeley. and again open from wednesday through sunday 12 to four. francesco thank you so much for spending the morning with us to discuss the madness collection will be back in just a moment with guests from the contemporary jewish museum in san francisco please join us in just a moment back here mosaic.

it requires a nine to your house this morning. and the middle of a wonderful conversation about jewish museums in the bay area and now we're joined by paul friedman who is the ark of this as a very interesting museum called the elizabeth as. and

i'll tonight. rabbi fine was a pass route by passing a rabbi conservation and the curator of the contemporary jewish museum in san francisco. is very unusual to have a dedicated museum collection in a synagogue that become vacation it emanu-el what kinds of items you have at the museum itself? and amazingly broad range of items with a fine arts, a painting, sculpture is, works of art on paper and watercolors and drawings is really a very broad range so it isn't just menorahs or that sort of thing it's a whole range of fine arts and complemented by a our collection which deals with the history of congregations to we have some things actually the you brought with you that we like to show folks and we'd like to take us

through with the items are currently have an exhibit called the jewish art of matrimony now and what we're looking at here is a beautiful home but then in 1975 by an artist named consul in short temper during her first name and is entirely handmade the piecework it's got all kinds of metallic fabrics in to importer a is a veritable peace and now we use says it's been retired to the collection for safekeeping dealing with the arts of matrimony in today's them. duckweed snacks to have also from our current exhibition and this is a marriage contract that was drawn up in 1862 room signatory on years chile is eichmann as if they're very early rabbi from

1854 to 18555 lead was and it's interesting that despite the earthquake in 1906 the loss of some materials were actually have objects and papers that predate that. some have this amazing ketubah which is for those who don't know in marriage contract between the bride and groom this very historic tradition and and basically is done to protect the rights of the wife. and then we have another piece. this is from an exhibit pass exhibits one of the things we try to do with our collection now is to integrate the museum collection and with the archive collection we're looking at here is an assortment of the service that we use in celebration of the passover seder and to these range was a

range at the collection. from a contemporary jewish museum is open to the entire public in many different ways will some of this wonderful museum at synagogue based their particular just a wonderful relationship within the community that there is to museums their experiences that i can have. it's a wonderful opportunity to our to collaborate with the museum and with your previous guest because the contemporary jewish jewish museum does not have a permanent collection will often partner with the madness to borrow more historical objects when it wants to to educate our audiences about historical objects or moment in time or two j a jewish

traditions so what is current snout the contemporary jewish museum? right now we have an exhibition called to not destroyed jewish thought that runs at the museum to the end of may and is an exhibition inspired by about celebrating the anniversary of the trees and invited over 50 artist to create new works every claimed would responding to the themes of which involve general and our and our mental messages or more specific relationships with the jewish tradition in this idea to protect trees that exist in the torah. dirichlet's this is part of the companion exhibition by an israeli artist with cavities

on view it with all different fruit trees. this is also from the campaign exhibition that is contemporary art is that deal continuously with the theme of trees this is a new york based artist named right now who is combined pass at her face and her body with trees still in the entry uc had her head actually sitting there and its cast stainless steel is beautiful few fleas startling piece. this is the first work from the invitational this is by the san francisco-based designer yves and its then if the first letter of the hebrew alphabets and he's named is at of bay laurel which is a beautiful piece. this is by another bay area artist who is who have a residency at the recall a dump in san francisco and she finds different wooden

was she was there she crafted to gather this beautiful this are clear successor clear form that looks like the reams of a tree but each of these pieces were actually separate pieces of what it is beautifully made. this is by deborah lows learn and berkeley based artist who went scavenging and down these beautiful pieces of wood while she was in oslo and she decided to attach importance to them and they have this sort of antique archaic look to them and they're just lovely. and you so much politics or to a quick break and return in just a moment to continue on the mosaic. welcome back to the sec

and rabbi eric and our to your house this morning or in the middle of a composition of the

jewish museum's in the bay area and were joined by paul friedman to is the archives of the very original museum elizabeth hess and some fine museum and our solomon is the curator of the contemporary jewish museum before the break we're looking at an invitational and said that the contemporary jewish museum about trees and i know there's an aspect about the collection that is quite unusual in terms of being an invitational. the work session for sale. and there for sell its 50% of the proceeds benefiting the artists and the other 50 percent benefiting programs and exhibitions at the contemporary jewish museum. is an unusual development in the course of the invitational exhibitions that museums across the country? we've been doing invitational sense that opens this is the seventh invitational event with always sold these

works had always been an important fund-raiser for the institutions so the jewish museum of additional exhibits are in fact for sell a 50% went to the artists and picture% going to the museum itself? thats luggage and now for somebody was interested in collecting arts and that their contributions to speak is helping in different ways. it's very unusual thing in the bay area and i think that people don't quite know the depth of museum of asian if we can use that term in the bay area we have that madness collection now connected to a world-class university of california at berkeley have the contemporary jewish museum in museum that really think a is has attained world-class status because of its architecture in part because of its innovation and how works in the community and in fact it's a museum without a permanent collection and we have the museum a congregation emanu-el very unusual for a congregation across the entire country to

actually have its own in-house museum. and i'm wondering just in your reflections of your work in your particular places what you think sort of ascribes to this kind of creativity in the life of jewish museums in the bay area? the museum isn't unique in being a congregational museum but there aren't that many of them it was started the of the test for this came with a rabbi who was a rabbi from 1948 to 1964 and tim really believes that are was a very integral part of jewish spirituality sell he encouraged the incorporation of arts and to the spiritual life of our community in and says by extension we enjoy sharing that same arts in our history and what the public at large and the congregation is then part of san francisco bay area since 1850 and were very

open to the publicly have a broad range of programming. people want to come to the museum to the go to the congregations website? to visit him person? to that hours. there isn't a discreet separate museum will be integrated the exhibition center are building itself so we have three exhibition spaces what is in the play to our beautiful sanctuary being torn medium-size sanctuary across our chapel. and so regardless of where you are in the building your always able to do see some of the history and art at temple emanu-el. some really it's a little experience. the what you think of anything that just a variety

of museums and experiences in the bay area? i think the bay area has such a diverse jewish community and less the bay area's said decentralized that's these institutions are able to drive and serve different audiences both at their core audiences and members of the community. been situated in downtown san francisco with heart of a cultural district has allowed us to broaden their audiences the way we reach both the local jewish community tourists and people were downtown and want to see exhibitions that have to do with contemporary art history ideas culture so i think that the bay area can really sustained these different types of organizations and its really a wonderful testaments to the bay area. believe it or not we have just a moment before we can say goodbye. can you let but snow how they can come to the contemporary jewish museum? is located and on mission

street between third and fourth and we're open monday through basically all week except wednesday will close on wednesday as we are generally open 11 to five. we hope you have a wonderful time the rest of the day thank you for joining us here on the set.

of