In this episode, I speak with Portland fused-glass artist Eddy Shuldman, co-founder of ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists, about the long path by which art, teaching, and Jewish life became inseparable for her. Eddy describes how she first turned to art not out of artistic ambition, but as a discipline of humility while working with at-risk youth: she wanted to keep learning hard things, failing publicly, and modeling perseverance for her students. That path eventually led her from stained glass to fused glass, where, as she puts it, the medium finally came alive for her. We talk about the technical unpredictability of glass, the spiritual intensity of working in a fragile medium, and the way Hebrew letters, liturgy, Torah, and Jewish memory become visual form in her work

We discuss the (impossible question of) what makes art Jewish, how artists nourish one another in community, and why ORA has mattered so much in Portland Jewish life. Eddy reflects on ORA's origins, its role in creating exhibition and community space for Jewish artists, and the more elusive but more important work it does in helping people connect Jewishly through creativity. We also talk about a powerful piece she created during COVID in response to anti-Black violence, the spiritual process behind her work, and the way Jewish phrases, texts, and experiences can surface in art even when the Jewish content is not overt.

Enjoy this conversation with Eddy Shuldman.

Links

Art/Lab: Innovating Jewish Arts and Culture: artlabpdx.org

ORA Northwest Jewish Artists: https://www.northwestjewishartists.org

Eddy's Blogspot: https://sparksofspiritglass.blogspot.com

Rabbi Goldie Milgram: http://www.reclaimingjudaism.org/