Art and Scroll Studio introduces Season Six with Gorgeous Graphic Exhibition: Jewish on Paper

By Shelley Werner

(AJNews) – On September 17, 2025 at 7:00 pm MDT Art and Scroll Studio will begin their sixth season with a stunning array of a variety of artists’ works, curated into the presentation “Jewish on Paper” with graphic artist Hillel Smith.

Art and Scroll Studio is proud to have hosted over 5 seasons since their inception in 2020, having featured 30 artists. They have over 10,000 views on their YouTube channel. They are looking forward to presenting their first episode of the New year, opening their 6^th season.

Hillel Smith, the curator of the show is excited to bring this exhibition to a community that appreciates Judaica art. He is a visionary for public spaces and his work enhances the experience of art of a large scale, as well as smaller designs that are appreciated on a more intimate scale.

“Jewish on Paper” is an exhibition that was born in the Jerusalem Bianalle in 2023. 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. Their creators are global, hailing from bustling Jewish centers and tiny outlying communities. The desire to make this explicitly Jewish work, in both cases, demonstrates the intense need to connect to our heritage through creative and visual means. Much of this work is intended to be commercial and is sold by the artists in reproduction.

Printed posters have been the most accessible form of visual media since their introduction in the west nearly six centuries ago, arguably being the earliest mass media. Posters continue to be beloved pieces that allow their owners to express their interests and beautify their environments at low cost.

Curator Hillel Smith comments, “because of the historic segmentation between art and design- the latter seen as a “low art” due to its commercial intent, democratizing sensibilities, and short lifespan- poster design and illustration are frequently ignored as an artistic medium central to our self-expression. In thinking about the spiritual assets and inalienable cultural legacy we are proud to consider forms of art that may be overlooked.”

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 joes we share and the posts we like- that speak most deeply about what is important to us.

Production methods like silkscreen and etching historically limited colour use and imposed technical hurdles that designers overcame with layering and clever use of inks. Today, digital printing allows limitless options for colour, and some artists, focus on digital displays where colours can be even brighter. Many contemporary designers choose to look back to the minimalism and techniques of previous eras to inform their work. Others look around to the aesthetics of their surroundings, infusing traditional iconography with surprising outside influence

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.

Curator Hillel Smith graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Visual Studies. He leads workshops on Jewish art, including Jewish street art, at a growing number of institutions, centering on artistic empowerment, continuity, and manifesting identity through the arts. He also teaches Jewish typographic history, using print as a lens for Jewish life and culture. Seeing Hebrew as the visual glue binding Jews together across time and space, his work is both contemporary and timeless.

Jewish on Paper will be the featured presentation on Wednesday September 17, 2025, 7:00 pm MST on Art and Scroll Studio, a live zoom series that celebrates the makers and creators of Judaic art.

To register for free tickets visit  https://bit.ly/JewishOnPaperTickets

To view short preview visit  https://bit.ly/JewishOnPaperPreview

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