Archive Mode. Call 2024 All the Fixins: Artists from the South (Juried) ended on 5/10/24, 11:59 PM. Call settings are read only. See Current Open Calls
In Jewish mythology, the Weeping Oak, or in Hebrew, the Alon Bachut, is also known as the Tree of Lamentation. Artist and healer Dori Midnight says that while there is not much literature about the Weeping Oak, it can be envisioned as a holy tree to gather around while finding comfort in community and collectively processing grief and trauma. My understanding of Jewish mysticism, or Kaballah, has not only helped inform my artistic practice, but my ancestral knowledge. Jewish tradition holds trees as holy - from the Torah as the Tree of Life to our cosmology mapped onto the body of a tree. The story of the Weeping Oak is one example.
The Weeping Oak bears Promise is a development of my love for large woodcuts in which the process becomes just as significant as the end result. Carving this piece was very meditative for me, and I want it to also put the viewer into a trance-like state. Through intricately carved curvilinear lines, Weeping Oak takes on a body of a tree which is almost humanistic in form, with bark wrapped around the edges, taking on a quality akin to stretch marks.
My identity as a queer Jewish American and third generation Holocaust survivor significantly influences my relationship with my culture - most of which has stemmed from generational trauma. I had a pivotal experience during a Shabbat service in the Weelaunee forest in Atlanta. The Weelaunee forest, one of the largest old growth forests in the country, is currently in danger of being clear cut to build a police militarization facility and Hollywood studio. There is a mass movement made up of people of all identities - but mostly queer people - to prevent this. During this Shabbat in the Forest, we thanked the Mother Tree nearby - an over 200 year old Cherry Bark Oak. Mother Tree has been a witness to the growth of the rest of the forest, the dances of the Mvskoke and Creek peoples, and several acts of environmental and social injustices. At Shabbat in the Forest, she bore witness to our tears, songs, food, and joy.
Weeping Oak is an ode to witness trees or holy trees such as Mother Tree and the Tree of Lamentation. Additionally, Weeping Oak is my way of grappling with the collective grief of seeing the current genocide against Palestinians. Utilizing Jewish mythology in my work is also a way for me to connect with my culture apart from Zionism. Additionally, there is significant overlap between the militarization in Palestine and in Atlanta, and these issues can and are happening everywhere. 17 I am heavily inspired by community and the queer women and femmes opposing this brutality. In Weeping Oak, these identities are alluded to through the feminine tree spirits climbing the limbs, 18 as well as the hands, or hamsas, which are woven throughout the branches and roots.
The Weeping Oak bears Promise is a reflection on the strength of resistance. This piece was displayed in my BFA thesis show.
