Gillian Laub: Family Matters
Oct 13, 2022–Apr 9, 2023
Photography Exhibition
Curated by David Campany, Sara Ickow
Image: Gillian Laub. Chappaqua Backyard. 2000, color photograph. CJM, San Francisco.
Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM)
736 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1-415-655-7800
CJM Website
CJM Instagram
Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission Street, San Francisco, California, 94103
Contemporary Jewish Museum Hours
| Monday | Closed |
|---|---|
| Tuesday | Closed |
| Wednesday | Closed |
| Thursday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Friday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Saturday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
| Sunday | 11:00 am – 5:00 pm |
Gillian Laub: Family Matters is a photography exhibition chronicling the lives of Laub’s Jewish-American family in the affluent New York City suburb, Chappaqua. The show focuses on her family’s divided political stance during the 2020 presidential election, due to their support of Donald Trump in his re-election campaign.
🎧 TIP: The AUDIO GUIDE FOR THIS SHOW IS A MUST, in that it really brings its emotional narrative to life. There is a QR code for it at the beginning of the exhibition for use on your phone. I will link it here: https://app.gesso.fm/home/
I would describe Laub’s work as Larry Sultan meets Slim Aarons through a maternal lens—shiny, busy, tender—her photography tells a lot visually, and is a direct trigger to the emotional subconscious. If you’ve ever had a contentious, yet loving relationship with your family, you’ll relate to her work.
Though her photography career started in the fashion world, and has included shooting campaigns for Versace and various magazine editorials, Laub’s later work has addressed documenting social issues such as terror survivors in the Middle East (Gillian Laub: Testimony) and racism in the American South (Gillian Laub: Southern Rites).
The exhibition includes, It’s All Relative: A Family Matters Reflection and Response Space in the CJM’s Yud Gallery (one of my favorite spaces in the museum), where visitors can record a short video on their experience with the show.
📖 The show’s accompanying book, Gillian Laub: Family Matters, is by the Aperture Foundation.
QUICK GUIDE: Contemporary Jewish Museum
⭐ MUSEUM HOURS: Open Thursday–Sunday 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Closed first day of Passover (April 5, 2023). Face masks encouraged, but not required.
⭐ ADMISSION: General Admission Adults $16; Seniors 65+ & Students $14; 18 & Under FREE. Membership starts at $75.
⭐ FREE: Admission is FREE through the following programs: Free First Fridays. Next one is March 3, 2023; Discover and Go (Free w/library card—may not apply to all counties); SF Museums for All (show your EBT or Medi-Cal card/ID); Museums On Us (show your Bank of America/Merrill card/ID) on FIRST weekend of month. Blue Star (Free for military personnel & their families with ID).
⭐ FOOD: Wise Sons Jewish Deli. Open Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–2 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Outdoor dining & indoor dining (during museum hours)
⭐ EXHIBITIONS: Gillian Laub: Family Matters (closes April 9, 2023); Oz is for Oznowicz: A Puppet Family’s History (closes March 5, 2023); Cara Levine: To Survive I Need You to Survive (closes July 30, 2023)
💌 Did you see the show? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the third tab at the top of the page).
🏛 For helpful tips on planning your visit to the CJM, see our COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM.
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