Dear Friends and Art Lovers,
As the season begins to change, my commitment to using my art practice to inspire action remains constant. Through public artworks, museum exhibitions, and public programs, I have big plans to continue developing my voice as an artivist and to continue creating work that bends the arc of justice.
Thanks as always for being on this journey with me,
Caron
Sukkot on the Hill at the Vilna Shul
In honor of the upcoming Jewish harvest festival, Sukkot, I have been invited by The Vilna Shul in Boston to create a Sukkah.
Sukkot is one of the three major festivals in Judaism, and is both an agricultural festival of thanksgiving and a commemoration of the forty-year period during which the children of Israel wandered in the desert after leaving slavery in Egypt, living in temporary shelters as they traveled.
To commemorate this period, it is customary to build small temporary shelters where we gather during the festivities.
This installation will feature the “seven species,” the staple foods consumed by the Jewish people in the land of Israel during biblical times. Traditionally, each species is linked to a human emotional attribute:
🍞 Wheat is linked to kindness, which nourishes the soul;
🌾 Barley is linked to Strength, the nourishment of the body;
🍇 Grapes are linked to beauty which brings us joy;
🌱 Figs are linked to perseverance, which feeds our our continued involvement;
🌳Pomegranates are linked to splendor or humility, both of which guide our deeds;
🫒Olives are linked to our foundation and are associated with the struggles we face;
🌴And finally, dates are linked to royalty and symbolize perfection.
I will be talking more about the symbolism and significance of the installation and it’s links to Jewish traditions and history in an upcoming conversation with Matthew Teitelbaum and there are several other programs planned inviting the public to engage with the work. Details below.
How Art Connects Us to Place, Self and History
Conversation with Matthew Teitelbaum
Wed, October 12th | 6:30pm EST | at The Vilna Shul, 18 Phillips St. Boston MA 02114
I am deeply honored to have the opportunity to join Mathew Teitelbaum, Director of the MFA, Boston for a conversation exploring how Jewish art has played a central role in identity formation throughout Jewish history. I hope you can join us.
More Sukkot Events at the Vilna Shul
Jazz Night for Young Professionals - Thursday, October 13th | 6:30pm
Docent-led Group Tours - Two Fridays, October 14th & 28th | 10:30am
Sanctuary City
On view through November 19, 2022
Somerville Museum | 1 Westwood Rd, Somerville, MA 02143
Curated by Julia Cseko and featuring: A+J Art + Design, Lani Asuncion, Allison Maria Rodriguez, Joanna Tam, Raquel Fornasaro, Caron Tabb, Wen-hao Tien, Iaritza Menjivar, Kledia Spiro, Ben Spalding, Dave Ortega, Raul The Third
It has been a deeply meaningful experience to show my fiber-based wall sculpture, “Black, White, Asian, or Indigenous. Jew or Arab; We all Bleed The Same Red” at the Somerville Museum alongside 12 immigrant artists from the Boston area. While my immigration experience and social justice issues related to immigration have long been central to my work, this was my first opportunity to show exclusively among others who share in this identity and bring such varied and nuanced experiences to the conversation. Here is a snippet from Julia Cseko’s curatorial statement:
“We are not here to support the notion of a Sanctuary or the concept of a Sanctuary City with acceptance or docility, but to analyze the underlying reasons for its existence. Should we be thankful for these spaces for the paltry protections they offer? Or should we be focusing on changing the systems that make Sanctuaries necessary? I believe the latter.”
Sanctuary City Public Programs
Duty-Free Paradise/Dole House (Performance) - Saturday, October 8th, 7–9pm
Children’s Book Reading with Raul the Third - Saturday, October 22nd, 11–12pm
Curator Tour with Julia Csekö - Saturday, November 5th, 5–6pm
Closing Event - Saturday, November 19th, Time TBD
Upcoming Exhibitions
 | Together for Good: Caron Tabb and the Quilting Corner Opening November 17th at the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles, CA I am excited for my piece, Fabric of Humanity – Repairing My World alongside an all-ages community quilt-making activity as an auxiliary exhibition expanding upon the exhibition, Fabric of a Nation, and connecting that powerful exhibition to the Skirball’s collection of Judaica. |
 | Solo Show at Umm al-Fahem Art Gallery Opening in 2024 in Umm al-Fahem, Israel I am looking forward to planning my first international solo exhibition to be hosted by the Umm al-Fahem Gallery in Israel - the first Arab Contemporary art museum in the country. While the show is still quite far in the future, I hope you will keep it in mind as you begin making travel plans in the months ahead. |
 | Be the Change The Jewishly inspired public art movement is on view in the Fenway through October 26, 2022. There are more activations and events planned, as well as a wealth of virtual content available to all who wish to dive deeper into the issues and ideas at the core of this project. Six additional Be the Change sculptures were recently unveiled at Cincinnati City Hall and six more will be coming to Los Angeles in the coming months! |