Alina and Jeff Bliumis’ “Casual Conversations” at the National Museum of American Jewish History

Six Points Fellows Alina and Jeff Bliumis present this new participatory exhibit at the NMAJH in Philly.  The heart of the exhibit is ten photographs taken between 2007 and 2009 on the boardwalk at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, the home of a large Russian Jewish immigrant community.  The photos feature people from the community posing with with signs signifying their identities – “Russian,” “Jewish,” “American” – and also with some of their own descriptions.

At the museum, the exhibit has an interactive component – visitors can take these same “identity” photos of themselves and share them online with each other and with the artists.

The point of all this (according to the press release) is to explore “one of the major themes of this Museum: How do we define ourselves as Jews, as Americans or as whatever identity one may choose, given the freedoms America provides. All of our visitors, Jews and non-Jews, Americans and non-Americans, grapple with the complexities of heritage, homeland, and identity.”

The exhibit is open now through August 19.

(Click image for more info)