Artistic Responses to the Holocaust Using New Technology

This project incorporates both the artistic expansion of my socially conscious narrative artwork and community involvement in like-minded creative activities. While I would develop my body of work with exhibition in mind, more importantly this new work is to be utilized in workshops, or community outreach. Throughout my career, I consistently employ historical sources in my collage-style narrative work, especially the social problems of history. (Since 2008, I have focused on the Jewish Diaspora and the Holocaust.) I create artist’s books, scrolls and monoprints. I propose two new scrolls to become the highlights of my workshop demonstration, (explaining their backstories and creative process), and eventually – exhibition “centerpieces.”

Each proposed piece, work sample – employs a different approach to the Holocaust, one with a personal look at WWII through the eyes of Jewish family members, by using perfectly preserved letters sent between a couple – one at war, the other taking refuge stateside. The second will explore stories of children of genocide as told through toys or personal mementos that were left “behind” when they suffered untimely deaths. In this way, one work sample presents a story that adults/ teachers might identify with, and the other presents ideas for making a lesson/exercise child-centric.

I use these work samples in explaining how to produce creative responses to the Holocaust and by extension, genocide of all kinds. I plan to involve two communities with this workshop – using art to teach and understand the atrocities of genocide. I have begun designing a workshop to be offered to NOT ONLY to current Education Department students, and teachers seeking continuing education, but also to the wider college-area communities and participants of all kinds. The workshop begins with a PowerPoint merging history with artistic exploration, continue with demonstrating transfer printmaking, and then enable participants to create their own pieces

Additional Websites: http://www.citrasolv.com/art/LeslieN.html, http://www.artslant.com/global/artists/show/284758-leslie-nobler