Submitted by The Skirball Museum
In response to the war in Gaza, the Skirball has placed on view a work by artist Marlene Siff, who created Peace/War in the context of the Arab Israeli peace process of the 1990s, the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, and the string of terrorist attacks that followed. Superimposed over a map of Israel are a multitude of circular forms, at the approximate locations of major population centers. A profusion of lightly written names — victims of terrorist bombings since the peace process began — slide down both sides of the work. Siff dedicated this piece “in memory of innocent victims whose lives were extinguished by senseless acts of violence.”
Ori Soltes, the former director and curator of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum, wrote of the piece, “Although it focuses on Israel, it pertains really to all of human geography and all of human history, raising questions that don’t necessarily have answers.” Peace/War is on view at the top of the stairs on the second floor of Mayerson Hall, which houses the Skirball Museum.
The Skirball Museum on the historic Cincinnati campus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion thanks the Jewish Home of Cincinnati for enabling the purchase of portable museum stools and a listening system for guided tours.
These items enhance accessibility for those guests with limited capacity to stand for extended periods and for those who have difficulty hearing the tour guide.
To learn about exhibitions and public programs or to arrange a tour, please contact the Skirball Museum or visit the Skirball Museum website.
