Stunning “Jewish on Paper” on exhibit at TBT Gallery starting Dec. 12

By Shelley Werner

(Calgary) – The show “Jewish on Paper” will be on display in the TBT Gallery, as follow up to its featured show on Art and Scroll Studio in September 2025. The original exhibition was born in the Jerusalem Biennale in 2023. The original curator, Hillel Smith was a guest on the show in the fall. This stunning graphic show is now available to be seen in person in Calgary, beginning on Dec. 12, 2025. There are more than 25 artists from over 15 countries represented in the show.

TBT Gallery is fortunate to have access to this work. Hillel Smith was hoping that after the Jerusalem exhibition the show would live on. He was delighted to provide the images originally used, and they were printed locally. Each image has the name of the designer.

TBT curator Jennifer Eiserman said, “Jewish on Paper reminds us that the everyday images we hang in our homes carry the deepest stories of who we are. In bringing global Jewish creativity to Calgary, this exhibition connects our community to a rich, ongoing tradition of visual expression. It invites us to see our heritage not as distant history, but as something vibrant, playful, and profoundly alive in our lives today.”

Hillel explained that the exhibition seeks to elevate posters featuring Jewish texts, holidays, and rituals. These posters include works intended as home décor, as synagogue art, and for display in other formal and informal contexts. They are works for adults and for children. They can be serious, joyful or ironic. Many use typography in their rendering of ancient passages.

Posters are the most accessible form of commercially available art. Inexpensive and easy to install, there is collective memory in our culture of the use of posters: in bedrooms, in the history of popular culture.

Many of the works are based on spiritual passages or Torah portions. The show is a “who’s who” of Judaic artists. Included are a variety of series by acclaimed Judaic artists like Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik, Yitzchok Moully and Eleyor Snir.

Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik cuts up comic books and reassembles them into clean lines and patterns, sinuous shapes and sharp edges, large fields of color and smaller intimate spaces. He lives in Santa Clarita California. Yitzchok Moully is a conceptual artist whose work explores the intersection of spirituality and material world we live in. He lives in Hillside, New Jersey. EleyOri art prints and products are designed to bring inspiration, blessings, beauty, and joy into homes and lives. The art unites traditional Judaic motifs, quotes, verses and blessings, with contemporary themes, balancing it all together. Created and illustrated by Eleyor (Ori) Snir in Neslon BC, EleyOri creates inspirational modern folk art that speaks to the heart.

It is often the everyday products we use to decorate our lives- the drawings we hang on our walls, the cards we send to friends, the jokes we share and the posts we like- that speak most deeply about what is important to us.

The common thread is the desire to bring Jewish content to the fore in ways that feel rooted both in Jewish life and modern society. The exhibition exemplifies the message that while the aesthetics we use may change, the act of weaving Judaism into our lives is ever present.

Many contemporary designers choose to look back to the minimalism and techniques of previous eras to inform their work. Others look around to the esthetics of their surroundings, infusing traditional iconography with surprising outside influences. The common thread is the desire to bring Jewish content to the fore in ways that feel rooted both in Jewish life and modern society. The exhibition exemplifies the message that the esthetics we use may change, the act of weaving Judaism into our lives is a constant.

Curator Jennifer Eiserman is a professor at the University of Calgary in the Department of Art. She teaches courses in Art Education, Studio Practice, Art Theory and Museum and Heritage Studies. She is fascinated by how people learn through engagement with art. This has directed her in teaching and research about community-based art and collaborative practice. The importance of making together, learning together, and understanding together have been the driving force of her research and teaching practice. She was the coordinator for Betzalel Arts, a community-based Jewish artists’ group, for 3 years. She is actively engaged in community-based arts groups in Calgary, including as founder and co-curator of the TBT Gallery committed to promoting Jewish artists.

“Jewish on Paper” can be seen at TBT Gallery, Temple B’nai Tikvah, 900 47 Ave SW, Calgary. Monday to Thursday 9:00 am to 4:00 pm/ Friday 9:00 am to 2:00 pm or by appointment. Contact the office (403) 252-1654.

Shelley Werner is the host of Art and Scroll Studio zoom series that celebrates the makers and creators of Judaica Art.