Chana Zelig

"Drawing inspiration from Judaism, I create art that synthesizes images and text as a gateway to other traditions and contemporary culture."

Artist Chana Zelig weaves together her own heritage with colorful, wide-ranging artistic influences. While using the language of Judaism, she embraces themes that extend well beyond it, expressing the wisdom of communities, individuals, and histories that inform contemporary culture.

Zelig chooses a central phrase to encapsulate an idea, sparking a series of associations to form a narrative. Elements frequently include symbols, imagery, and text. Meticulously researching the content, she adds annotated explanations. She paints on muslin, stretched over archival board and adds texture to the surface to resemble stone. Zelig has also translated her work into glass and fiber.

Zelig was educated in a scholarly Judaic milieu. Two events caused her to develop her artwork: first, painting a banner for her child's school, where she found images and text surprisingly emerged, forming a new view of religion. Second, the creation of ten large stained glass windows for a temple. Working at a venerable studio in Germany, she earned the esteem of artists and patrons from diverse cultures.

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Selected Exhibitions & Awards
2010 Moriah All-Judaic Art & Jewelry Fair, Moriah Congregation, Deerfield, Illinois, 2010
Collections
Six Chapel Windows, Temple Am Shalom, Glencoe, IL, 2008
Art Quilt, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Chicago, IL, 2008
Donor Recognition Wall, Temple Beth-El, Northbrook, IL, 2007
Ten Sanctuary Windows, Temple Beth-El, Northbrook, IL, 2006
Glass Wall, Temple Am Shalom, Glencoe, IL, 2008