J.W.Stewart-Wellsprings of Freedom Haggadah artwork

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Wellsprings of Freedom Haggadah

This is material from a commission from the Dorshei Emet synagogue in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
for artwork for a Haggadah, the book used as guide for the Passover Seder. There was some hesitation on the part of the author and of the editorial committee because I'm not Jewish but because it was felt that my work, my style, would be the best fit with their intentions as far as
what they wanted to achieve with the Haggadah they hired me. In undertaking the work for this Haggadah I was confronted with a dual challenge. I had to absorb and synthesize a very rich set of traditions and interwoven stories that make up this home ritual. I also had to reflect the author's intention to create a Haggadah that accommodates different voices, commentaries and identities around the core narrative- in the best tradition of the Haggadah as the spark for discussion and exchange.

1. "Welcome" 22.75 x 17.75 in. (58 x 45 cm.)

I worked in a montage style that is ideally suited to this type of approach for conveying concepts with images. By drawing upon my repertoire of practices in making art I sought to create a style that could accommodate the metaphorical freight of the book. I combined existing and historical images with contemporary elements in such a way as to avoid compromising historical authenticity
all the while voicing ideas that were at times complex.

In a way my artwork resembles the approach of this particular Haggadah-- to create something new by adapting and adding to an established tradition. In my work I assemble, compile and edit disparate imagery, mix in whatever elements are needed to bind it all together until it makes a new kind of sense. In creating the art for Wellsprings of Freedom, I had to be less allusive than usual and aim for specific meanings until it made perfect sense. Overall, I wanted to balance the need to convey the essential ideas of these stories and their narrative tributaries while making them stimulating as visual art, to make the images sing.

For more information about the haggadah go here:
wellspringshaggadah.com

All works were done in colour copy transfers, enamels and other media
on rag-paper, except #2 Miriam's Well and Four Children which are larger relief pieces
with sculptural elements of wood, museum board, polyester, string and hand-made Japanese papers.
All pieces are museologically framed in stained birch with museum-board
and correx backings with wood perimeter braces.
Please note the dimensions of the pieces