Exhibition Detail: Jewish Homegrown History

Bob Gregory dances with his sister Sandy at his Bar Mitzvah in 1960. By then he was already teaching dancing professionally at Ted Raden’s Dance Studio. Courtesy of The Labyrinth Project.

Jewish Homegrown History

Immigration, Identity, and Intermarriage

On view now through September 2, 2012

ADMISSION

Included with Museum admission:
$10 General
$7 Seniors and Full-Time Students
$5 Children 2–12
FREE to Members and Children under 2
FREE to all on Thursdays

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

Come watch vivid moments from the everyday lives of ordinary families and see how Jewish home movies enrich California's multicultural story.

An immersive gallery installation that projects Jewish "homegrown movies" on three giant screens, Jewish Homegrown History uses home movies to explore the dynamic interplay between personal memories and collective history. The vibrant films document diverse immigration trajectories and the identity issues they raise. They emphasize the complex negotiation of rival allegiances to new locations and homelands left behind, and also the complex relations Jews forged with other ethnic communities within California. Unlike most other cultural histories of Jews, which begin in the East with Ellis Island, this exhibition focuses on the Jewish experience in the West, a reversal that enriches our understanding of the broader history of Jews in America.

Conceived and created by The Labyrinth Project, an art collective and research initiative on interactive narrative at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, the exhibition offers the opportunity to interact with Labyrinth's online multimedia archive specially compiled for the exhibition. Learn how you can add your own family stories and images to this expanding homegrown history and become engaged in preserving the cultural heritages of our families and our communities.

Additional related programs to be announced, including a Jewish Homegrown History bus tour and screenings of films by Jewish screenwriters. Check back soon!

JEWISH HOMEGROWN HISTORY: IMMIGRATION, IDENTITY, AND IMMIGRATION IS AN ARCHIVAL CULTURAL HISTORY BY THE LABYRINTH PROJECT: ROSEMARY COMELLA, MARSHA KINDER, SCOTT MAHOY. THE LABYRINTH PROJECT IS AN ART COLLECTIVE AND RESEARCH INITIATIVE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS, LOS ANGELES, CA.