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Welcome to my inaugural newsletter!
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“Fallen Leaves,” from the Memory Void at the Jewish Museum, Berlin, June 2, 2023 |
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I began the month of June traveling in Europe with my sister and her two wonderful children, who are 26 and 23 years old, respectfully. It was a pilgrimage of sorts, as we spent 5 days in Berlin–the place where my mother was born, 2 days before Hitler became chancellor, and where she survived the Holocaust with her mother, after her father was captured and killed. They were 2 of only 8,000 Jews who managed to live through the war in Berlin. I had always dreamed of going there with my mother, but she lost interest in returning and stopped traveling long ago. The four of us were with my nearly 90-year old mom when she passed away peacefully, in December, and determined to make the trip to Germany to honor her. We found the address of where they lived before going into hiding, in what became East Berlin, though the building had been destroyed. In front of the location, there’s a memorial to the Jewish theater company that once thrived there. Exploring Berlin made real the stories I grew up with, as nearly every block is full of the dark history, laid out in plaques and preserved sites. Our apartment was next to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and just a few blocks from Hitler’s bunker. The Jewish Museum contextualized the progression to and impact of the Holocaust. Encountering all of these echoes gave me a deeper understanding of what my mother lived through as a child, and the traumas that defined her. She was both shy about and proud of her magnificent survival story.
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Linda “Henny” Haar Douglas January 28, 1933 - December 22, 2023
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Sao Vicente, Lisbon, Portugal, June 6, 2023 |
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After Berlin, we spent 5 days in Lisbon, to decompress and revitalize. It’s a beautiful and lively city, rich with ancient architecture and narrow, cobblestone streets that wind around a maze of hills. The full moon and ocean breezes greeted us, and we spent the hot days wandering through historic sites and vistas. A dip in the clear, salty Atlantic was nourishment to my soul.
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► Along my travels, I shot 11 rolls of black-and-white film, all of which I have now processed into negatives…Images to come!
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With Jennifer Koch, for the opening of (extra)ordinary” at the New New Art Studio. May 5, 2023 |
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May saw the pop up exhibition of “(extra)ordinary” at Burlington’s New New Art Studio. It was a distinct pleasure to show “My Father’s Things” Contact Grids, alongside the spirited constructions of Jennifer Koch. Thanks to artists Susan Smereka and Kevin Donegan for hosting!
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► I am thrilled to share a video interview about this expanding project by the multi-faceted artist, Fiona Rose Small: Watch the Video on YouTube
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“Wheels” at the Museum of Everyday Life in Glover, Vermont, opened on Saturday, June 3.
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“My Father’s Things, Contact Grid~Wheels” Archival inkjet print, 2023 |
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My photograph (above) is part of the dimensional and varied new exhibition, through June, 2024. If you’ve never visited this unique museum, make the trip! Be sure to explore the permanent collection–where you can see two analog photographs of my father’s house, from last year’s exhibition, “Coming Clean”.
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“Vermonters’ Views of Cuba,” in the Pickering Room of the Fletcher Free Library, in Burlington, Vt. Through July 6, 2023.
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“Apartment Courtyard, Havana, Cuba” Silver gelatin lith print, 2015 |
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The group exhibition, coordinated by Diane Gayer of GreenTara Space Gallery, is part of the CAFÉxchange Project. Four silver gelatin lith photographs from my travels in Cuba in January 2015, are on display. The show is in collaboration with “Four Cuban Photographers” at the Darkroom Gallery in Essex Jct. Vt, which runs through July 29, 2023.
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In the July edition, I will have links for 2 recent television interviews, along with examples of new work, and a remembrance of my father: the artist Stephen Douglas, who died on June 26.
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Contact: jordansamdouglas@gmail.com
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