By Jackie Silver, Development Manager
This week we welcomed Hanoch Piven, an Israeli artist who creates collage portraits with found objects. Campers, staff, and faculty had the opportunity to learn from Hanoch and construct their own self portrait from a wide selection of items found around camp, or the “buffet of objects” as Hanoch calls it.
Hanoch provided an intentional environment for growth and self-discovery through play and creating art. As he showed examples of his own art, Hanoch explained how objects talk. Some objects have a more direct meaning, while others are up to interpretation. He said, “If you use a rubber band for your mouth, maybe this means you are flexible.” When the campers were released to the “buffet of objects” they found joy in seeing the odds and ends in a new way. The plastic piece of broccoli is now a nose, a zipper defines the shape of a face, zip ties are transformed into hair; the opportunities are endless! Hanoch adds “Seeing faces is a good exercise. Once you start seeing them you can’t stop.”
Next to the buffet, tables were set up with a canvas for each camper. But no chairs! Hanoch says “Work on your feet. We see things from different perspectives and have more energy.”
He encouraged the campers to let go of their ideas and let the objects guide them. He said art takes time, to have patience with yourself, and trust the process. We don’t have to be happy with the first choice and it takes time to arrive at what you think is perfect.
Every person’s portrait was completely their own. After the campers completed their symbolic self-portrait, Hanoch invited each person to talk about their art. Each answer was just as unique as their portrait. One camper said, “I love popsicles, so I used a popsicle stick for my mouth.” Another camper brought up how much she loves plants, so they used a small plastic plant pot for her body.
Hanoch wants his workshop to be a safe place for people to be confused. He states, “We are constantly bombarded with instructions” and when we are given an open-ended task, it can be hard to make our own rules. His hope for us is that we learn to hear our own voice, to express ourselves, and to be seen by others.
We are incredibly grateful for the time we spent with Hanoch. Each person who participated in his workshop walked away with a meaningful piece of art and a new appreciation for seeing things (and people) from multiple perspectives. Huge shout out to the Foundation for Jewish Camping for awarding us the Israel Education Grant that allowed us to bring Hanoch to camp!
Hanoch believes that “when we make art we look to the future and have hope for the future.” We agree, Hanoch. Camp is the perfect place to make art and continue to look to the future together.
