Nicki Green: Firmament
September 5, 2024–December 15, 2024
Mixed Media Exhibition
Curated by Heidi Rabben
Image: Nicki Green. Firmament Installation View. CJM, San Francisco.
Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1-415-655-7800
CJM Website
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Contemporary Jewish Museum Hours
| Mon. | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tue. | Closed |
| Wed. | Closed |
| Thu. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Fri. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sat. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sun. | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
Overview
Today’s LOVE LETTER TO ART is Nicki Green: Firmament, curated by Heidi Rabben and currently on view at San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum. Green is a trans artist with Bay Area roots (SFAI & Berkeley alum). She is a professor of ceramics at New York’s Alfred University. Firmament is her first solo museum exhibition.
“Green’s inspiration for this exhibition comes from the concept of the firmament—a thin dome or expanse referenced in the Book of Genesis that divides the earth from the heavens. Transdisciplinary artist Nicki Green reimagines the firmament as a generative space between polarized views of the world.
Under and surrounding this canopy, multi-headed androgynous figures, presented as angels, luxuriate and co-mingle amongst reinvented ritual objects. A large vessel situated in the middle of the tent symbolizes a mikvah—the Jewish ritual bath—a space from which queer and trans bodies have traditionally been excluded.
Motifs of mushrooms and mycelium, as well as references to cleansing, purification, and fracture, appear as metaphors for the artist’s trans and Jewish identities by centering on processes of transformation or states of flux.
Binding everything in the exhibition together, a new text by local Maggid (sacred storyteller) and queer elder Eli Andrew Ramer wraps around the gallery in a metaphorical embrace, offering a lyrical guide through the exhibition.
Firmament is conceived by Green as a space of warmth, welcome, and liberation for trans and non-binary bodies-one she and her collaborators describe as expansive and ‘inherently linked to the liberation of all oppressed people.'”
Preview of Nicki Green: Firmament. CJM, San Francisco.
Green’s life-sized sculptures, alongside collaborator Ricki Dwyer’s beautifully woven canopy, transform the CJM into a sacred aesthetic space—a serene and unexpected refuge within the museum.
The concept of a mikvah, or Jewish ritual bath, was new to me—I had to look it up, and what I discovered was fascinating. The ritual follows very strict guidelines, not only in the physical dimensions of the bath but also in the source and purity of the water. (Learn more about mikvah practices through Rabbi Batshir Torchio’s talk [FREE w/admission] at the CJM on Dec 19, 2024 from 11:30–12:30 p.m.)
There’s a flow in Green’s work that doesn’t always make it into ceramics. Classical floral motifs paired with raw, textured surfaces create whimsical yet strong scenes that allude to antiquity. It’s a bit of a mystical portal—one I absolutely love. A dreamy, unforgettable show. Don’t miss it!
🗓 Nicki Green: Firmament runs until December 15, 2024 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.
The exhibition runs alongside the CJM’s 4 other shows: California Jewish Open [Open Call Exhibition Feat. 47 Artists]; L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15; Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow. Looted [Exhibition feat. Polish-owned paintings stolen during the Nazi occupation in World War II.] ALL ARE FREE ADMISSION UNTIL, SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 2024
✨Also check out NICKI GREEN: Eye of the Fountain (closes Nov. 22) at Cult Aimee Friberg (GORGEOUS GALLERY) in San Francisco’s Mission District.
💌 Did you see the show(s)? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
QUICK GUIDE: Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)
⭐ EXHIBITIONS: Nicki Green: Firmament; California Jewish Open (Open Call Exhibition Feat. 47 Artists); L’Chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15; Leah Rosenberg: When One Sees a Rainbow. Looted (Incredible exhibition feat. Polish-owned paintings stolen during the Nazi occupation in World War II). All Close December 15, 2024.
⭐ MUSEUM HOURS: Open Thursday–Sunday 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Closed Monday–Wednesday.
⭐ ADMISSION: FREE
⭐ EVENTS: (FREE w/museum admission) Noa Yedlin on Literature after October 7 on Nov 10, 1:00–2:15 p.m.; Rabbi Mychal Copeland on the Tabernacle on Nov 14, 11:30 a.m.; Connecting to Jewishness Through Art: Elina Frumerman and Natalya Burd on Dec 1, 11:30 a.m.; Sharing Hanukkah in the Classroom: A Workshop for Parents and Educators on Dec 10, 12:00-1:00 p.m.; Connecting to Jewishness Through Art: Tiffany Shlain and Amy Trachtenberg on Dec 15, 11:30 a.m.
⭐ CJM NEARBY ART: MUSEUMS: YBCA [Nicky Nodjoumi & Nahid Hagigat are EXTRAORDINARY SHOWS feat. the Iranian American artists. Post to follow soon.] (2 min walk); MoAD (3 min walk); SFMOMA [*Amy Sherald: American Sublime is an EXCELLENT show feat. nearly 50 works, including her iconic portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor. Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture is the ultimate sports fan show, and so fun too. Posts to follow soon.] (4 min walk). PUBLIC ART: Revelation, the Martin King Jr. memorial fountain and several others at Yerba Buena Gardens (2 min walk) [see LINK for Yerba Buena Gardens self-guided art tour]. GALLERIES: Berggruen Gallery (8 min walk).
⭐ CJM NEARBY FOOD/DRINK: While the CJM no longer has an eatery (sad to see Wise Sons go), there are several casual dining options nearby. The closest are Tropisueño [counter-order Mexican] (1 min walk) and Delarosa [pizza and pasta] BOOK DELAROSA ON OPEN TABLE HERE (1 min walk), Amber India [upscale Indian food w/ *Mon–Fri LUNCH SPECIALS starting at $18 & $32 Lunch Buffet!] BOOK AMBER INDIA ON OPEN TABLE HERE (1 min walk).
My nearby FAVES are OREN’S HUMMUS [around the corner] (3 min walk). Check out their *AMAZING HAPPY HOUR Monday–Thursday 3:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. and GRACE [SFMOMA’s public street-level restaurant]. *They also have a FABULOUS HAPPY HOUR Thursday–Monday 3:00–5:00 p.m. **My PERSONAL PICKS are THE CAVALIER [*CHECK OUT THEIR FANTASTIC HAPPY HOURS: Mon–Sat 4:00–6:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat 9:00–10:00 p.m. Includes $10 Cocktails & Apps under $20! The MARLOWE BURGER is a SF classic.] (7 min walk) and the PIED PIPER [Old world bar + food + Maxfield Parrish’s Pied Piper painting in SF’s historic Palace Hotel] (7 min walk).
💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
For helpful tips on planning your visit to the CJM, see our COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM.
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Author: ALoveLettertoArt
