Results by title
2 books match the query 'Solomon, Susan'
Art in Midcentury American Synagogues
Expressions of Memory, Identity, and VulnerabilitySusan G. Solomon
University of Illinois Press, 2027
Between 1947 and 1967, American Jews adopted contemporary art in synagogues to express how they saw themselves, their religion, their history, and their place in society. Susan G. Solomon explores how artists transformed traditional parts of sanctuaries into modern works even as a new era of anxiety and confidence impacted postwar Jewish life.
Solomon focuses on unmovable pieces—including the ark, its curtain, and the eternal light—and on the materials that artists used, like metal, wood, fiber, and stained glass. Once looked upon as aesthetically impoverished, synagogue art underwent a mid-century shift into forms of inventive art filled with purpose. Artists catalyzed by the vibrant American art scene inventively worked in metal and wood to update the iconography on the ark; re-imagined the eternal light as a full sculptural entity; and altered the ark curtain from long-established needlework into gallery-worthy fiber art or rugs. At the same time, advances in stained glass facilitated works that dramatically altered the sanctuary’s atmosphere. A final chapter discusses the importance of stewardship at a time when many midcentury synagogues have declined as buildings and institutions.
Insightful and original, Art in Midcentury American Synagogues documents a rich and complicated artistic response to the needs of Jewish Americans in a time of change.
Solomon focuses on unmovable pieces—including the ark, its curtain, and the eternal light—and on the materials that artists used, like metal, wood, fiber, and stained glass. Once looked upon as aesthetically impoverished, synagogue art underwent a mid-century shift into forms of inventive art filled with purpose. Artists catalyzed by the vibrant American art scene inventively worked in metal and wood to update the iconography on the ark; re-imagined the eternal light as a full sculptural entity; and altered the ark curtain from long-established needlework into gallery-worthy fiber art or rugs. At the same time, advances in stained glass facilitated works that dramatically altered the sanctuary’s atmosphere. A final chapter discusses the importance of stewardship at a time when many midcentury synagogues have declined as buildings and institutions.
Insightful and original, Art in Midcentury American Synagogues documents a rich and complicated artistic response to the needs of Jewish Americans in a time of change.
[more]
Solvable
How We Healed the Earth, and How We Can Do It AgainSusan Solomon
University of Chicago Press, 2024
A compelling and pragmatic argument: Solutions to yesterday’s environmental problems reveal today’s path forward.
We solved planet-threatening problems before, Susan Solomon argues, and we can do it again. Solomon knows firsthand what those solutions entail. She first gained international fame as the leader of an expedition to Antarctica in 1986, making discoveries that were key to healing the damaged ozone layer. She saw a path—from scientific and public awareness to political engagement, international agreement, industry involvement, and effective action. Solomon, an atmospheric scientist and award-winning author, connects this career-defining triumph to the inside stories of other past environmental victories—against ozone depletion, smog, pesticides, and lead—to extract the essential elements of what makes change possible.
The path to success begins when an environmental problem becomes both personal and perceptible to the general public. Lawmakers, diplomats, industries, and international agencies respond to popular momentum, and effective change takes place in tandem with consumer pressure when legislation and regulation yield practical solutions. Healing the planet is a long game won not by fear and panic but by the union of public, political, and regulatory pressure.
Solvable is a book for anyone who has ever despaired about the climate crisis. As Solomon reminds us, doom and gloom get us nowhere, and idealism will only take us so far. The heroes in these stories range from angry mothers to gang members turned social activists, to upset Long Island birdwatchers to iconoclastic scientists (often women) to brilliant legislative craftsmen. Solomon’s authoritative point of view is an inspiration, a reality check, a road map, and a much-needed dose of realism. The problems facing our planet are Solvable. Solomon shows us how.
We solved planet-threatening problems before, Susan Solomon argues, and we can do it again. Solomon knows firsthand what those solutions entail. She first gained international fame as the leader of an expedition to Antarctica in 1986, making discoveries that were key to healing the damaged ozone layer. She saw a path—from scientific and public awareness to political engagement, international agreement, industry involvement, and effective action. Solomon, an atmospheric scientist and award-winning author, connects this career-defining triumph to the inside stories of other past environmental victories—against ozone depletion, smog, pesticides, and lead—to extract the essential elements of what makes change possible.
The path to success begins when an environmental problem becomes both personal and perceptible to the general public. Lawmakers, diplomats, industries, and international agencies respond to popular momentum, and effective change takes place in tandem with consumer pressure when legislation and regulation yield practical solutions. Healing the planet is a long game won not by fear and panic but by the union of public, political, and regulatory pressure.
Solvable is a book for anyone who has ever despaired about the climate crisis. As Solomon reminds us, doom and gloom get us nowhere, and idealism will only take us so far. The heroes in these stories range from angry mothers to gang members turned social activists, to upset Long Island birdwatchers to iconoclastic scientists (often women) to brilliant legislative craftsmen. Solomon’s authoritative point of view is an inspiration, a reality check, a road map, and a much-needed dose of realism. The problems facing our planet are Solvable. Solomon shows us how.
[more]