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Growing Up Jewish – Art & Storytelling is an exploration of the key people, experiences and community that shaped artist Jacqueline Kott-Wolle’s distinctly North American brand of Jewish identity.

Kott-Wolle, who came of age in the late 20^th century, draws upon decades of family photos for inspiration.  The exhibit includes playful images of Jewish holiday and ritual observances; moments at Hebrew school and summer camp; vacations as well as milestone celebrations marked by the artist’s family through the years.  Paired with the artist’s own narration, Kott-Wolle asks ‘what does it mean to be Jewish for past present and future generations in North America’.

Kott-Wolle’s Jewish identity was informed by the experiences of her parents and grandparents who arrived in Canada in 1949 after the Holocaust.  As a member of the ‘Second Generation’ the artist also reflects on how her forebears faced the enormous task of starting over upon surviving one of modern history’s darkest chapters.  The exhibit includes this colorful cast of characters as they rebuild their lives and flourish in North America’s vibrant Jewish communities.  Growing Up Jewish – Art & Storytelling speaks to the resilience of newcomers who must navigate a painful past, contend with tradition and summon optimism for the future.  Painted in a fresh palette of color, Growing Up Jewish – Art & Storytelling traces the story of one North American Jewish family through five generations from 1925 to the present.