Rosenzweig Gallery

Vibrations: Silvia Heyden Tapestries

April 10--August 20, 2023 

Opening  May 26th

at the Oneg following Shabbat Services at 7:30pm

Judea Reform's Arts and Acquisitions Committee proudly presents “ Vibrations: Silvia Heyden  Tapestries” in Judea Reform's Rosenzweig Gallery.  World renowned tapestry artist,  Silvia Heyden was born in Switzerland in 1927 and trained at The School of Art in Zürich and  became a fixture in the Durham Art Community for years. Her works are in the collection of several museums, universities, and corporations, as well as at Judea Reform Congregation (our portable Ark Torah cover and Torah doors in the Bossen Family Library). Silvia's work is full of vibrant color, strong patterns, and delicate detail that offer a rich visual experience. The exhibit of these 17 weavings is a rare opportunity to see her amazing work up close. 

“From the beginning, I was convinced that there was a tapestry, waiting to be uncovered, that could not be painted or designed on paper, but one that would, and evolve from the process of leaving itself. In the Bauhaus tradition, my dialogue with the loom has been one of my greatest sources of inspiration in finding a tapestry that reveals the essence of the woven medium, one that will bring the art of tapestry to a new height.” - Silvia Heyden

Silvia Heyden, z”l (1927-2015), was born in Basel, Switzerland and studied in the School of Arts in Zurich from 1948-1953 under the Bauhaus tradition and led by the famous designer Johannes Itten. She moved to the United States in 1954 with her husband, Dr. Sigfried Heyden, and to Durham, NC in 1966 with her family. Silvia was a world-renowned tapestry artist who explored color and composition in her hundreds of tapestries. In 2006, Silvia wove an original Ark cover for the former Judea Reform Congregation building. That weaving and Ark cover is now in the Bossen Family Library.  In 2009, Silvia was commissioned to create tapestry doors for Judea’s portable Ark used in the Levin Social Hall for High Holy Days. In 2011, a documentary “A Weaverly Path: The Tapestry Life of Silvia Heyden,” was made by JRC Congregant, Kenny Dalsheimer, about Silvia’s art and life. She explored her voice and art until her death. 

The exhibit is curated by Carol Retsch-Bogart and Barbara Silver

Questions? Contact Barbara Silver at barbara@silver.name

Two books of Heyden's book collections are available for purchase at the Judea Reform Eisman Gift Shop:

Movement in Tapestry:

1927-2015

Silvia Heyden

hardcover $75.00

The Making of Modern Tapestry:

My Journey of Discovery

Silvia Heyden

 paperback $70.00

Partial list of works in permanent collections:

• North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina

• Textile Museum, Saint Galien, Switzerland,

• Durham County Library, North Carolina

• Williams College, Museum, Williamstown, Mass

• Nasher Museum of Art, Durham, North Carolina

• Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina

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The Rosenzweig Gallery viewing hours are during business hours:

Tuesday-Thursday 9:00am to 4:30pm

Fridays 9:00am to 3:30pm

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Our Past Exhibits

 Contemporary Landscapes in Jewish Life:

From Judea Reform Members' Private Collections

Jan - Mar 2023

Curated by congregant Gabrielle Rousso, “Contemporary Landscapes of Jewish Life” was an exhibition of contemporary art from congregants’ private collections that depicts a wide range of experiences or “landscapes” of Jewish life, places, or scenarios.

 A Rosenzweig Gallery Retrospective:

Exhibit Posters Through the Years

October through December, 2022

Curated by JRC’s Arts & Acquisitions Committee

The Rosenzweig Gallery, established in 1990 and named in honor of Judea's founding Rabbi, Efraim Michael Rosenzweig, z"l. It has a rich and storied history as the only dedicated exhibitor of the Judaic arts in the Durham and Chapel Hill area. On display now are “Exhibit Posters Through the Years,” posters from the various installations that have been featured since the gallery moved to our new building in 2003.

In the early 1990s, the Rosenzweig Museum of the Jewish Family was created under the direction of Lenora Ukco in the original Cornwallis Road building. When our new synagogue was built in 2003, the name of the Gallery was simplified to The Rosenzweig Gallery, and the management of the Gallery shifted from Judea Reform to the Jewish Heritage Foundation of N.C. Management responsibilities were later returned to Judea Reform Congregation, allowing us to redefine and construct a new mission for the Gallery and to provide greater gallery involvement for our congregants.

Over the years, The Rosenzweig Gallery has hosted juried art exhibits, local Jewish artists, art by congregants, and visiting academic artists. The posters you see displayed in this exhibit represent and catalog the rich history of exhibits that have graced the walls of the Monsein Community Court. Today the Arts and Acquisitions Committee is chaired by Jodi Preminger; the Rosensweig Gallery operations and archives is managed by Barbara Silver.

Maintaining a gallery and archive is no small feat.  The paperwork, loan agreements, search for artists, care of artifacts, and appraisal of Judaica requires a committed team. Judea Reform is grateful to the committee members who for the last thirty years have helped us to remember our past and embrace our creative futures.