Jewish Museum of NYC Broadens Its Identity
THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Allan Kozinn
NEW YORK---Coming to the museum [Jewish Museum NYC] after a dozen years as director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, following five at the helm of Artists Space, the SoHo organization devoted to the work of emerging artists, Ms. Gould, 56, was seen by some in the art world as likely to transform the museum into a haven for modern works, as it was briefly in the 1960s when it presented young Pop Art and Minimalist pioneers. That prospect worried those who regard the museum’s Judaica collection as its principal focus, and who were wondering whether Ms. Gould — raised in an interfaith home, with a Jewish father and a Roman Catholic mother — had the background to deal with these materials. In an interview — her first extended discussion of her job since she took over in November 2011 — Ms. Gould described her upbringing as “culturally Jewish,” but added that many aspects of Judaism were new to her. She did not know until she took the job, for example, that because Judaism is matrilineal from a religious perspective, she is not considered Jewish at all. [link]
By Allan Kozinn
NEW YORK---Coming to the museum [Jewish Museum NYC] after a dozen years as director of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia, following five at the helm of Artists Space, the SoHo organization devoted to the work of emerging artists, Ms. Gould, 56, was seen by some in the art world as likely to transform the museum into a haven for modern works, as it was briefly in the 1960s when it presented young Pop Art and Minimalist pioneers. That prospect worried those who regard the museum’s Judaica collection as its principal focus, and who were wondering whether Ms. Gould — raised in an interfaith home, with a Jewish father and a Roman Catholic mother — had the background to deal with these materials. In an interview — her first extended discussion of her job since she took over in November 2011 — Ms. Gould described her upbringing as “culturally Jewish,” but added that many aspects of Judaism were new to her. She did not know until she took the job, for example, that because Judaism is matrilineal from a religious perspective, she is not considered Jewish at all. [link]
Comments