How many Jewish artists can you name? Most know Marc Chagall, maybe Mark Rothko or Andy Warhol. But creative Jews have been contributing to the artistic landscape for millennia.

Enter Chai Art. Part lecture, part art class - a whole new series on Jewish learning. Over the course of four weeks, Chai Art participants learned the biography of a different Jewish artist and then put themselves into the artist’s shoes by testing out techniques or methods used by each artist.

Julia Downer, who created and taught the series, explained her vision behind it. “I wanted to make a class that was accessible to as many people as possible. Art History lectures can feel daunting, or people pass on art classes because they worry about not being good enough. In this series, we weren’t trying to make a masterpiece. We were learning about some amazing artists who had a connection to Judaism and tried out techniques they used.”

Some classes focused on a specific work, like Frank Owen's Cape which is on display at The Jewish Museum in New York City. The group made messy monoprints by transferring swirled ink on shaving cream and then used tools to scrape thin layers of paint across their print to create the same effect seen in Owen’s work.

Sonia Delaunay's Automne also served as a source of inspiration for the group. Participants traced patterns with found objects, then colored in each section to create Delaunay's signature block patterns. The process served as a mindfulness exercise that allowed for discussion of Sonia Delaunay's storied biography. The Jewish-French painter was academy trained but fled to the zone libre in the south of France when the Nazis invaded Paris. She later returned to become the first living female artist to have a retrospective exhibition at the Louvre in 1964, and in 1975 was named an officer of the French Legion of Honor.

Other classes focused on the medium an artist perfected, like learning collage with Miriam Schapiro or assemblage with Louise Nevelson. Miriam “Mimi” Schapiro was a Canadian-born artist and a leader of the feminist art movement. She often blurred the lines between “fine art” materials and “craft,” incorporating icons associated with women - hearts, florals, decorative patterns and lace in her collages. Nevelson also used a variety of materials in her work but focused on sculpture using found objects. Her use of assemblage created monotone dramatic works that feel like an elaborate game of I Spy.

"Thank you for all the kindness and a great class," shared Lynne Hill, a community member and frequent participant in the J's art classes. She wasn't alone — attendees noted they will miss the conversations and artistic collaborations, and are already hoping more classes will be scheduled in the future.

Thankfully the group will not have to wait long for another artistic adventure. On Sunday, April 12, the J is organizing a field trip to the Chrysler Museum of Art for a special exhibit featuring Chai Artist Louise Nevelson and fellow Jewish artist Esphyr Slobodkina. You can snag a seat on the field trip bus here.

Downer continues, "I hope the series inspires the community to think about how in every field or profession, Jews have always been there contributing in some way. Highlighting some of these artists has been such a joy to bring to the community — to go beyond just the one or two names of Jewish artists we might know."