Celebrating the Artistic Vision of a New Generation On Wednesday, May 29, 2019, the Yeshiva University Museum hosted the opening of ATÉN, the 10th Annual Abby Belkin Stern College for Women Senior Art Show. ATÉN, which is the Hebrew word for the plural feminine form of “you,” represents the culmination of the exhibiting students’ undergraduate work in Stern College’s studio art department. Traci Tullius, associate professor of art and the department chair, and Mary Creede, an adjunct assistant professor of art, curated this year’s show, which includes figurative painting, portrait photography and non-representational design and sculpture, to name a few of the media used. The show also features a dynamic variety of artistic methods from technology-savvy digital videos and prints to traditional handmade skills such as embroidery and drawing.

Karen-Lynn Amouyal, "Part of you, Part of me"

At the opening, both Tullius and Creede noted that the exhibition allows students to share their work with the school as a whole and engage the community beyond the confines of the 8th Floor of 215 Lexington Avenue, home to Stern College’s Studio Art Department. “The show is an annual celebration of the creativity and accomplishments of the graduating class, but it’s also a way to inspire next year’s graduating class and remind the greater YU community of the talented, thoughtful and unique women who will be the institution’s newest alumnae,” said Tullius. The show helps students explore their aesthetic range and discover what is possible. Creede noted that by participating in ATÉN, students “appreciate what they are capable of doing when the actual physical art work transcends the theoretical. Taking art out of the studio and having viewers engage with it is what completes the work. It's part of the artistic progression.” In his remarks to the many friends and family who gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the six senior exhibitors, Jacob Wisse, associate professor of art history, co-chair of the department of fine arts and music, and director of the Yeshiva University Museum, noted the rare opportunity the exhibit provides students to have their creativity recognized beyond the classroom. “We think the work of these young women will be eye-opening for many New Yorkers.” Wisse went on to say that the Yeshiva University Museum, which has been hosting the annual art show since its inception 10 years ago, is an important cultural vehicle “through which the character and the vision of our students reaches the public.”

(l-r): Jacob Wisse, Traci Tullius, Mary Creede, Barbara Suhr

Artists whose work is featured include Karen-Lynn Amouyal, Alexandra Feder, Rachel Feinberg, Sharona Maynard, Chaya Ross and Leah Saltzman. The actual exhibit space was designed by a separate group of students working under the supervision of Barbara Suhr, an adjunct instructor in the department with an expertise in exhibition design. The exhibition is the capstone of a semester-long exhibition design course taught by Suhr this spring. The 10th annual exhibition is dedicated to Abby Belkin, z"l, wife of the late Dr. Samuel Belkin, second president of Yeshiva University, in honor of her profound and lasting impact on Stern College for Women and Yeshiva University. ATÉN will be on display through August 11, 2019. The Yeshiva University Museum is located at the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY 10011.