T H E M A G A Z I N E O F T H E S K I R B A L L C U LT U R A L C E N T E R
18th AN N IVERSARY ISSU E
2014
SKIRBALL CULTURAL CENTER BOARD OF TRUSTEES Peter M. Weil, c hairman Uri D. Herscher, president Arthur H. Bilger, vice chairman Lee Ramer, vice chairman Howard I. Friedman, founding chairman
Adele Bergreen Howard M. Bernstein Martin Blackman Lloyd E. Cotsen Philip de Toledo Evelyn Feintech Melvin Gagerman Marc H. Gamsin Leslie Gilbert-Lurie Vera Guerin Richard S. Hollander Dennis Holt Robert C. Kopple Marlene Louchheim Orin Neiman Kenneth A. Ruby Harold M. Williams Jay S. Wintrob Marvin Zeidler John Ziffren Ken Ziffren
Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 (310) 440-4500 skirball.org
IN THIS ISSUE OUR MISSION
President’s Message
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The Skirball: A Brief Pictorial Journey Planting Our Roots
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Raising New Heights
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Living the Journey
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Sharing the Harvest
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The Skirball Cultural Center is dedicated to exploring the connections between 4,000 years of Jewish heritage and the vitality of
American democratic ideals. It welcomes and seeks to inspire people of every ethnic and cultural identity in American life. Guided by
our respective memories and experiences, together we aspire to build a society in which all of us can feel at home.
The Skirball achieves its mission through
educational programs that explore the literary, visual, and performing arts from around the
world; through the display and interpretation
of its permanent collections and changing
exhibitions; through an interactive family
destination inspired by the Noah’s Ark story; and through outreach to the community.
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear Friends: This past year, the Skirball marked eighteen years
since opening to the public on April 21, 1996, and more than thirty years since the institution was
conceived. With the inauguration of Herscher
Hall and Guerin Pavilion, located on the north end of our idyllic fifteen-acre site, the campus of the Skirball Cultural Center is finally complete.
As we have celebrated these milestones, I have
asked myself: How do I describe the journey? How do I convey its meaning and its purpose?
And I have realized that I can only start with
what is in my heart — with the memories that have shaped me, the ideals that have inspired me, and the gratitude that fills me. I am moved beyond words, but I have only words, and so I share them with you — our donors, our members, our visitors — in the hope that what comes from my heart
might enter yours.
How can I repay so great a kindness? The words are from the Hebrew Bible, from the Book of Psalms. I cite them because the biblical text is the heart and soul of Jewish tradition, the rock on which our heritage, and much of civilization, still stands.
But I cite the text with yet deeper conviction, because it lives in my heart and soul at this moment, this moment of moments in the life of the Skirball, and, no less, in my own. How can I thank each
of you for your confidence over these past thirty years — for your encouragement, your enthusiasm,
your generosity. These glorious buildings, this magnificent campus, this cultural village and all it stands for, would not thrive without you. How can I repay so great a kindness?
I cannot, because the Skirball’s debt of gratitude extends far beyond this moment — indeed,
beyond this world. I am speaking of those who did not live to see this day, but whose lives and labors paved our way here. Again I think of the biblical text. On the verge of the Promised Land, Moses addresses the people of Israel. I speak, he says, not only to those who are
here with us this day, but to those who are not here. So it is for us, when we remember those
who shared with us, and shaped us, and helped us, and gave us hope, and encouraged us, and
loved us. We are ever in their debt. When I name in my heart those no longer at my side, I ache. I miss them so. I cannot forget them. I can only be grateful for all they gave, for all they were, and for all they bequeathed to us.
This double feeling — both a full heart and an aching one — is, I confess, a vulnerability, with deep roots in my own life and memory. At the time of my birth, one-third of the Jewish people and two-thirds of my own family were perishing in Europe. I have lived ever since
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President’s Message
in the shadow of that loss. The questions that have haunted me, and driven me, through all my years, are these: What becomes of that loss? What becomes of those precious people?
Will their dreams, their ideals, their civilizing influence, die with them? Or will their legacy live on — within us and through us? What can I do, what can we do, to honor their memory, to make of their lives a meaningful blessing?
I will name only one such life among the millions, because I want to share her story. Johanna was my grandmother. I never met her. She was trapped in Germany by the Nazi scourge, together with a little boy — not her own child, but one entrusted to her care. When a visa was secured for her
escape, she refused to use it, because there was no visa for the little boy. She refused to leave him behind. They both perished. Even now, that tragedy is for me a bottomless sorrow.
I tell you this story because of what I learn from it. It is something far greater than sorrow. From my
grandmother’s example, I learn moral heroism. I learn courage. I learn character. I learn devotion. I learn goodness in the very face of evil. I learn the hope for a just and compassionate world, where life is cherished, not extinguished. And I learn that ideals become real when they turn into deeds.
These are lessons not of death but of life. And it is my grandmother’s example, as surely as the tons of steel and cement, that has laid the foundations of the Skirball Cultural Center.
Yet this memory and this example are not all that the Skirball represents. For while our text is
Jewish, our context is American. The Skirball is both. The American chapter of the Jewish story is the one we are living. Imperfections and all, it is a success story, a love story, and it is not ours alone. It is shared by a multitude of immigrants from many lands and cultures, each of whom
has helped to weave the fabric of this nation. We celebrate not only what America has done for its immigrants, but what immigrants have, in turn, done for America. The Skirball Cultural Center tells this story, and writes thrilling new pages every day.
D O U B LY B L E S S E D
Uri Herscher never met his grandmothers, Johanna Strauss and Sara Herscher. Both were murdered in Nazi concentration camps. Speaking of their courage and wisdom, as passed down to him through letters his grandmothers sent to his parents, Herscher remarks, “I am doubly blessed.” Shown here is one of the few extant photographs of Johanna Strauss (on left) and Sara Herscher (on right), taken the day they first met.
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The American story, too, resonates in my own family history. Some sixty years ago, my mother, father, brother, and I arrived in San Jose, California, with all the trepidation that new immigrants bring. But our fears were short-lived. From the very first, we were welcomed — by strangers
who became neighbors, by classmates who became friends, by teachers who became mentors, people from many lands and cultures and walks of
life, Americans all. My father found work as a cabinet-
maker, my mother as a laundress. Their vocations were
humble, but like other immigrants they worked hard, persevered, and earned a share of the American dream. The memory of our American welcome, the warmth of that embrace, has never left me. It, too, is poured into the Skirball’s foundations. To welcome the stranger is a Jewish and an American virtue. It is the essence of our mission and our future.
To welcome the stranger is a Jewish and an American virtue. It is the essence of our mission and our future.
Now, with campus construction completed, that future stands in dazzling prospect before us. Our
splendid new buildings expand our capacity to serve as a place of welcome, a place of learning, and a place of meeting. It broadens our reach still further. It opens our doors still wider. It affords
a multitude of new opportunities to engage a public that continues to grow by leaps and bounds.
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President’s Message
Our goal remains the same: to foment hope, to promote civility, to provide a sense of human connection, to help all of us understand our responsibilities to ourselves and to each other. For our lives find their greatest fulfillment when they ennoble other lives. It is, I admit, a lofty vision. But at the Skirball, we take it seriously. Human dignity is a serious subject.
Again I recall the words of Moses: I speak to those who are not here. But this time I refer not to
those who have left us, but to those yet to be born. For it is our children, and their children, who will live to see beyond our horizon. It is their vision, in years to come, that will carry us forward. It
is to them that we entrust the future of the Skirball Cultural Center. And I believe, with heart and soul, that it could not be in better hands. The best is yet to be.
Uri D. Herscher Founding President and Chief Executive Officer Skirball Cultural Center
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Planting Our Roots In the early 1980s, encouraged by philanthropist Jack H. Skirball (1896–1985) and other major donors, Uri D. Herscher spear-
headed the conceptualization of a Jewish cultural institution dedicated to inclusivity. Inspired by the story of the Jewish people finding safe harbor in the United States, his vision was
to create a place whose mission is to welcome and engage people of diverse communities.
PHASE I
L A N D O F P R O M I S E In 1981, standing on a hill in the Sepulveda Pass, Uri Herscher caught sight of a
vacant lot, strewn with trash (pictured above left). It served as a garbage dump. Despite its appearance, Herscher knew that its location—in the corridor linking the Westside and the San Fernando Valley—was ideal for the place of meeting he envisioned. The fifteen-acre parcel was purchased in 1983, and site clearing began. Phase I of the campus (pictured at top) would be completed more than a decade later, in late 1995.
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phase i:
Planting Our Roots
B R E A K I N G G R O U N D After finding the land along Sepulveda Boulevard, Uri Herscher toured founding supporters to the proposed location (see facing page). To transform the property, he engaged world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie to design what Safdie would later call “a paradise garden, an idea fundamental to the Jewish tradition.” Before construction commenced, client and architect visited the building site with Jack Skirball. (See above right, L–R: Herscher, Skirball, Safdie.)
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G AT E WAY B E A C O N S As phase I neared
completion, crews carefully completed the towers marking the two main entrances to the Skirball. Installed at the top of each is a stainless steel sculpture depicting a dove taking flight.
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phase i:
Planting Our Roots
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phase i:
Planting Our Roots
O P E N I N G D AY On April 21, 1996, the Skirball Cultural Center opened to the public. Although Jack Skirball did not live to see this day, his widow, philanthropist Audrey Skirball-Kenis, attended the inauguration. She is pictured here (see left) in the Skirball’s central courtyard—flanked by fellow trustee Morris H. Bergreen and the Skirball’s founding board chairman, Howard I. Friedman— as Uri Herscher cuts the ribbon. Following this grand opening, the courtyard would go on to welcome thousands of music fans each summer at the Skirball’s popular Sunset Concerts (pictured above in 2013).
On the facing page, Herscher and Los Angeles City Council Member Marvin Braude unveil the Skirball Center Drive street sign, also on opening day.
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L A D Y L I B E R T Y The Skirball’s core exhibition, Visions and
Values: Jewish Life from Antiquity to America, traces 4,000 years of Jewish experience, culminating in the struggles and opportunities that Jews and many immigrant groups have encountered in this nation. The phenomenon of American immigration is symbolized by a towering reproduction of the Statue of Liberty torch, a campus landmark that took many weeks to install.
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phase i:
Planting Our Roots
G A L L E R Y S PA C E Since opening in 1996, the Skirball has presented exhibitions
on a range of fascinating topics. Most recently, the retrospective Global Citizen: The Architecture of Moshe Safdie invited visitors to survey the Israeli Canadian architect’s fifty-year career—from his formative period in the 1960s to recent projects around the world. On the facing page, a family examines an impressive scale model of the Skirball, which was Safdie’s first cultural commission in the U.S. Other recent exhibitions include Decades of Dissent: Democracy in Action, 1960– 1980 (pictured at top) and The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats, honoring the legacy of the groundbreaking children’s book author and illustrator. Above, young gallery visitors create their own stories using magnetic figures and props.
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phase i:
Planting Our Roots
A P L A C E O F L E A R N I N G From galleries and classrooms to the simulated
archaeological dig site (see below), the Skirball campus serves the institution’s extensive educational offerings, with special outreach to public schools. School programs for Pre-K through Grade 12, teacher professional development workshops, and adult education courses engage students of all ages. Uri Herscher explains, “All that we do here at the Skirball—even beyond our school outreach program—is educational in its intent. Learning takes place wall to wall.”
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Raising New Heights In its inaugural year, the Skirball attracted nearly 300,000 visitors, far surpassing attendance projections of 60,000. The
public’s enthusiasm paved the way for phase II of construction, designed to meet the growing need for programmatic space. Completed in spring 2001, the expansion gave rise to a multipurpose facility for performing and literary arts programs, as well as conferences, meetings, and social gatherings.
PHASE II
T E N T O F W E LC O M E Ahmanson Hall was dedicated on April 21–22, 2001, as part of the Skirball’s fifth-anniversary celebration. At the two-night gala, Uri Herscher spoke of the building’s tent-like form as an expression of hospitality and shelter. Here, the hall’s unique architectural roof feature is shown being hoisted into place.
N E W S I G H T L I N E S The hall’s main, semicircular space
features sail-like panels, which draw the eye toward the distinctive ceiling design. Inside the spacious auditorium, the Skirball has presented hundreds of leading novelists, poets, journalists, musicians, dancers, and theater artists. On the facing page, upon the opening of the career-spanning exhibition of his work in October 2013, the Skirball’s architect, Moshe Safdie, speaks to a sold-out crowd.
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phase ii:
Raising New Heights
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C O N T E M P L AT I O N A N D C E L E B R AT I O N Phase II of the campus enabled
the Skirball to present performance-based school programs (in addition to gallery tours, offered since first opening to the public). This past year, local ensemble Viver Brasil (see facing page) brought Afro-Brazilian culture to life through dance, music, and storytelling. The auditorium is also a venue for participatory song and dance during family festivals, as well as community and life-cycle events.
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phase ii:
Raising New Heights
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Living the Journey Following phase II, construction began on the south end of
the campus. In the fall of 2004, a new three-story structure, with adjoining amphitheater and arroyo garden, was inaugu-
rated. By this time, the Skirball Cultural Center was a major
cultural destination in Los Angeles, poised to introduce an expanded exhibition program and welcome hundreds of thousands more visitors.
PHASE III
U N I F Y I N G E L E M E N T S Dedicated on September 12, 2004, Winnick Hall is clad in architectural concrete and pink Tadoussac stone; the horizontal bands are a hallmark of Moshe Safdie’s design for the Skirball. The phase III facility doubled the Skirball’s capacity for exhibitions and performance installations, as well as family-friendly programming.
TOUCHING HEARTS AND M I N D S Topped by majestic
ceiling arches, the top-floor gallery has been the site of many changing exhibitions. Drawing large crowds during its nine-month run in 2004 – 2005, the landmark exhibition Einstein was the first to be mounted in the new hall (pictured above right). More recently, Creating the United States (see right and facing page) displayed precious and seldom-traveled objects relating to the founding of the republic.
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phase iii:
Living the Journey
Military uniform (jacket, epaulets, waistcoat, breeches, tricorn hat, and wig) and leather satchel of Jonathan Bancroft of Massachusetts, 1777– ca. 1789. From the collection of Dr. Gary Milan.
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F E E L AT H O M E , T R AV E L T H E W O R L D With
each new exhibition, the gallery undergoes a transformation. For Gary Baseman: The Door Is Always Open (pictured at left and above), the Skirball rolled out an actual welcome mat and invited visitors into an immersive re-creation of the artist’s childhood home, including a dining table whimsically set for a Passover Seder. A few months later, architecture enthusiasts filled the gallery to marvel at drawings and models of Moshe Safdie’s projects in Israel, North America, and Asia. On the facing page, a large-scale photograph of Jerusalem as viewed from Yad Vashem Holocaust History Museum, designed by Safdie, drew the eye and enhanced the gallery environment.
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phase iii:
Living the Journey
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phase iii:
Living the Journey
A L L A B O A R D In June 2007, the second floor set sail, so to speak, when Noah’s Ark at the Skirball™ opened to critical and popular acclaim. Docked inside the light-filled gallery (displayed in its vacant state above), the floorto-ceiling Ark is home to nearly 400 animals, all handcrafted from everyday objects. Below, visitors marvel at the Sika deer, whose neck is made from vintage keys and ears are made from shoe stretchers.
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A V O YA G E O F D I S C O V E R Y Inside Noah’s Ark’s
highly interactive environment, children and grown-ups build the Ark, load animals to safety, and care for fellow creatures. As “passengers” complete the “journey,” they engage in activities designed to strengthen connections within and among families. These activities include storytelling, puppetry, music, dance, and art making. The playful experience is anchored in the timeless themes of storms (weathering challenges), arks (working together), and rainbows (envisioning a more hopeful future).
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phase iii:
Living the Journey
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Living the Journey
THERE’S A RAINBOW IN ALL OF US Just outside Noah’s Ark, visitors cool off in the soft mist emitted by a curved metal sculpture. When the sun shines on its surface, rainbows appear, symbolizing hope and inspiring wonder. Steps away, aspiring artists draw, paint, sculpt, and “upcycle” in the Skirball’s Family Art Studio, a place where the whole family can create together.
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A B R E AT H O F F R E SH A I R During phase III of construction, a 350-seat amphitheater was built where the hillside naturally curved. Every summer since 2008, families have convened in this grand space for Family Amphitheater Performances. Under the shade of a canopy, storytellers, dancers, musicians, and artists of diverse talents and backgrounds greet and interact with audience members.
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phase iii:
Living the Journey
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Sharing the Harvest As attendance continued to grow, especially with the expanded exhibition program and Noah’s Ark at the Skirball, the insti-
tution launched its fourth and final expansion: first, a major parking structure across Sepulveda Boulevard, then in the fall of 2013, a new learning and conference facility on the northern tip of the campus.
PHASE IV
C A P S T O N E M O M E N T The culmination of a thirty-year master plan by Uri Herscher and Moshe Safdie, Herscher Hall and Guerin Pavilion represent the completion of the Skirball’s fifteen-acre campus. The adjoining, arched-roof buildings were dedicated on October 19, 2013, as the Skirball’s total programmatic space reached 495,000 square feet.
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Sharing the Harvest
TO C O N V E N E A N D C O M M U N E
At the gala celebrating campus completion, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus took the stage inside the facility’s new 9,000-squarefoot ballroom (see facing page). The young vocalists performed a moving rendition of “America the Beautiful.” Since its inauguration, the ballroom has become the gathering place of choice for many nonprofit organizations. Pictured at left, a large-scale banquet is set inside the ballroom. Below, performing artists People Get Ready headline a late-night program celebrating the Skirball’s acclaimed architecture. In the coming years, the new facility will greatly expand the Skirball’s role as a center for educational, cultural, and community events.
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Measure us not by the size of our acreage, Nor by the length and breadth of its land.
Measure us by sacred time, By the depth of our ancestral memories And the visions of our progeny. — rabbi harold m. schulweis October 19, 2013, Founders Gala, Skirball Cultural Center
editor
Mia Cariño contri butors
Nicole Bazar Kathryn Girard Robert Kirschner design
Picnic Design printing
Colornet Press
This issue of Oasis is condensed and edited from the commemorative book A Place of Welcome: Celebrating the Skirball Cultural Center, published in October 2013.
Image Credits Bill Aron: 11 (top right); Loretta Ayeroff: 4 © 2013 Loretta Ayeroff; Joe Buissink: 26 (bottom) © 2010 Joe Buissink / All rights reserved; Andrea Cimini: 39 (top right and bottom); Steve Cohn Photography: 13, 19, 20 (top), 25, 30 (bottom), 31, 36 (top left), 36 (bottom), 37, 44; John Elder: 26 (top), 29 (bottom), 30 (top right), 38; Peter Halmagyi: 15 (bottom); Timothy Hursley: 9 (top), 23 (bottom), 43 (bottom right); BeBe Jacobs: 18, 33, back cover; John C. Lewis 6–7, 21 (bottom), 35 (bottom), 46 (foldout) © 2013 John C. Lewis; Grant Mudford: 34–35 (ark façade); Timothy Norris: 2–3, 14–15 (top), 27, 32, 35 (second from bottom), 36 (top right), 40 (bottom), 45 (bottom); Bonnie Perkinson: 40–41 (amphitheater performance and audience); Elon Schoenholz: front cover, 43 (top); Edo Tsoar: 45 (top); Peter Turman: 17, 20 (bottom), 21 (top), 39 (top left); Alex Vertikoff: 35 (top); Warren Air Video & Photography: 43 (bottom left).
© 2014 Skirball Cultural Center
2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90049 (310) 440-4500 skirball.org