Client: Los Gatos Jewish Community Center Mikvah

Overview

A Mikvah is a ritual bath used in the Jewish religion from ancient times. People come to partake in the ceremony and water immersion for different personal reasons. The space available for the artwork was a ledge approximately 2 feet wide at the back edge of the pool and the wall behind the pool.

Goals

The main goal of the Sculpture and Mural was to increase the spiritual atmosphere at the location. The Sculpture is made of two Hebrew words. One is the Hebrew word for Mikvah and the other word is Hope/Tikvah. The mural is a picture of an ancient Mikvah in Masada, Israel.

Process

I worked with an interior designer named Barbara Jacobs. We visited the site and decided what the best location for the artwork would be, measured and explored options for the space. I also met with Rabbi Alexander and she gave me information about Mikvah’s and their history and spiritual connection to the Jewish Religion. We also decided to use the word Hope / Tikvah as part of the artwork. I want to thank all of the people who worked with me to help make this project a reality. It takes a community to do a Public Art Project.

Additional Information

The Mural, a metal print with a luminous surface quality is in the corner of this ancient Mikvah room. We see in the mural an image of the sculpture that sits at the edge of our modern Mikvah pool. Here in a symbolic way, we are connecting the past and the present, by showing our sculpture in the ancient Mikvah setting. The sculpture is the Hebrew word for Mikvah and Hope / Tikvah made of fabricated steel and powder painted.