Gilded Horses Tour

Today I lead a tour for the Heschel Elementary school, a Jewish day school, of the Gilded Lions and Jeweled Horses exhibit. The teachers had specifically asked that we include a great deal of information, so I had worked the last two weeks on putting together the tour and researching the relevant symbolism and history. I had a college student observing me, so that was a little nerve wracking.

We started off in the atrium in front of one of Samuel Katz's Arks. I can't find a picture of it, but it's rather plain; a big wooden door with the Decalogue and a band across the front with the Kohanim hands, some Jewish stars and scroll work on top. After having the kids sit down, going over the rules and introducing them to folk art, we began. I asked the kids what we were sitting in front of, and they responded an aron kodesh, an ark. I asked how they knew and they pointed to the different symbols, mentioning which ones were more familiar to them and which they hadn't seen on an ark before. I then told them about Samuel Katz, who carved this ark as well as dozens in Boston. He had immigrated to NY in the 1907 from the Ukraine. He had learned his craft from his father, a cabinetmaker, and had left his home because he was scared of being drafted into the Russian army. What's remarkable is that Katz never drew out a plan for his arks, he just began carving.

I then asked them, "What is immigration?" And we discussed that people leave their homes in order to find better places to live. In this case we discussed that Jewish immigration to the US maybe have been due to economic problems, famine, anti-Semitism, and just hope for better opportunity. I asked them what people bring with them when they immigrate, and once we got beyond the basics we discussed language, food, traditions and memories. I then said that today we will be looking at folk art made by Jewish artists who brought their craft with them to America and how they adapted to their new homes. But first, we must go back to Europe...

We settled in front of the large photograph of the ark from a synagogue in Olkienmiki, Lithuania built in the 18th century. The ark is 4 stories tall and incorporates a number of symbols from Judaic texts and stories as well as flora and fauna. At first the students didn't guess that this too was an ark. Once they did they were overwhelmed with all that was going on. It boasts Kohanim hands, two crowns, mythical and real creatures, tons of flowers, a Decalogue, and much more. We talked quite a bit about the Leviathan, the circular water animal that seems to be swallowing its own tail. It is a Midrash that when the Messiah comes we will eat Leviathan (I hope he's tasty). What we especially focused on the two-headed eagle at the top of the ark. It was the symbol of the country's ruling monarchy. The kids discussed why it was put at the top, yet still under one of the keter Torah, the crowns of Torah. They came up with a lot of reasons, including that it was to show that they were loyal to the country but still believed in a higher power. (You need to come to the museum to really see everything, this picture is far too small)

We next moved to the papercuts. I wasn't totally happy with the one I chose, I think next time I will find another one that is more colorful and fun. Again, I couldn't find a picture, but it has been painted to look like wood. The kids picked out a lot of the similar symbols that we saw in the previous ark; Decalogue, mythical animals, the Leviathan again, and Hebrew. They also pointed out new symbols; menorah, gates of paradise, and some others. I forgot to focus on the change in the eagles, from a double-headed on representing the Old World government to the single eagle representing the United States. We talked about how someone makes a papercut. I then asked when they had seen papercuts used in Jewish festivals or traditions, but the kids weren't familiar with that. I then asked them what they thought this one was used for, and then told them about the artist Abraham Shulkin. He moved from Belarus to Iowa in 1897 and carved many synagogue arks. He had used this papercut as a sketch for the arks he made, one which can be seen in the NY Jewish Museum.

We ended at the carousel horses, one that is actually growing on me, the Jumper with Patriotic Trappings. I asked them to first look at the ark and talk about what they saw, with the responses about the American flags, the wildness of the horse (flying hair and large nostrils), the real horse-hair tail. I then told them that many Jewish immigrants who came to NY became involved in the carousel business, and asked them why they think that might be. They mentioned that they knew how to work with wood, that they were able to "not Jewish" stuff in America, that they wanted to make money. I then asked them to find Jewish symbols on the horse.... which of course they couldn't since there aren't any. I told them that Charles Carmel, the artist who made the horse, worked in workshops with other immigrants from Italy and Germany amongst other places, and so their work showed a mix of different cultures, but nothing distinctly Jewish. I then asked them to look for symbols on the horse that might show how Carmel felt about America. They mentioned the large jewels and gold (golda medina) that shows the richness of America, the Eagle that shows patriotism, and again the excitement of the horses jumping position.

We headed towards the end of the the visit by briefly stopping to look at Carmel's Dragon, which one kid drew a connection to the Leviathan all on his own! On the way to the elevator we walked past the one thing you can touch in the museum, the model horse head. I finally asked what they had learned about folk art and the kids had great responses about expressing your culture through different forms as your experiences change.