Conversations with the Curator: Annual Open Exhibition
In the Bodzin Art Gallery October 28 – December 15, 2025
Each year, the J seeks fine art and craft to feature in its Annual Open Exhibition, highlighting the creativity and talent within our community. This unjuried show is open to all artists 18+ who are members, staff, or friends of the J.
This year, 27 artists are showing their creations, and each has a unique approach to making their art. Sarah Berry, the curator of the Bodzin Art Gallery, interviewed three returning Open Exhibition artists to learn more about why this exhibition is important to them.
“Community is such an important concept for Jews,” says fiber artist Rachel Braun. “I love being part of a community of artists. Visiting the exhibition and seeing the variety of expressions, the choice of themes, and the engagement with raw materials is astonishing, and it mentally expands my relationship with my own medium.”
Rachel Braun had a solo exhibition, Embroidery and Sacred Text at the Bodzin Art Gallery in 2019 to dovetail with the release of the same-titled book of her Judaic needlework, and continues to enjoy showing at the J.
“It is important to me as a Maryland resident to be participating with the Virginia Jewish community,” Braun says. “We are incredibly lucky in the DC area to have a broadly unified community. It’s a tough time in the Jewish world right now, so being in community with one another shores up our sense of klal Yisrael — our inseparability and mutual devotion.”
Kelly Snyder, a self-described “eclectic artist that creates on whims,” has shown in several previous Open Exhibitions and in Choosing Peace, an exhibition mounted in the Bodzin Art Gallery in 2022 in partnership with the Fairfax Art League. “I am drawn to making art that is fun and playful, and I love that all ages get to admire the art at the J,” says Snyder. “I once heard that a child was admiring one of my pieces and it made my day!”
Longtime member Marilyn Feldman talks about her connection with the J fondly, saying “I definitely have a long-term personal relationship with the J! We live close by, our children grew up here, and now I spend quite a lot of time here. The Bodzin Art Gallery is an integral part of the J, and the open exhibit is of particular importance as it provides the member artist an opportunity to visually communicate with the viewer – fellow J members and guests, lots of them.”
Marilyn is a ceramic artist, creating functional hand-built pieces. She has participated in many of the Open Exhibitions over the years. “In December 2024 a woman said to me, ‘I bought your piece because it spoke to me.’ An artist can’t ask for anything more.”
The 2025 Open Exhibition features work in an array of media, including photography, ceramics, painting, paper arts, fiber, and more.
Participating Artists, 2025:
Larisa Ayash, Joel Boches, Rachel Braun, Eric Coulter, Spoorthi Dandridge, Marilyn Feldman, Jim Finkel, Bill Firestone, Nataliya Gurshman, Melinda Hofstetter, Michele Holtzman, Jinny Isserow, Alan Kolnik, Richard Levine, Naomi Lipsky, Lisa Miller, Catherine Mommsen Scott, Sylvie Muldoon, Sophia Pineda, Alyse Radenovic, Melinda Roth, Cynthia Schoeppel, Kelly Snyder, Monica Tucker-Harley, Sarah Vejvoda, Varia Voloshin, Elizabeth Wassel
Curator, Sarah Berry, and the Community Impact and Engagement team invite you to visit the Bodzin Art Gallery and enjoy the Open Exhibition and the artistic and community spirit that thrives here.
——————————
Your support will help us bring diverse and inspiring cultural arts programs to our community. By donating to the Pozez JCC’s cultural arts programs, you will make it possible for us to host events and showcase a variety of artists and exhibits, including those in the Bodzin Art Gallery. Your contribution directly enriches lives through the power of art.
Donate Now
