Jews on Vinyl
And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl
Exhibition:
February 6 - June 9, 2009
What started out as a mutual affinity for kitschy Jewish album cover (think Neil Diamond baring his chest hair on the cover of Hot August Night, or Barbra Streisand in hot pants on the cover of Streisand Superman) soon became a quest for identity, history, and culture between the grooves of LPs.
Together, guest curators Roger Bennett and Josh Kun embarked on a thrilling journey, scouring the world to collect thousands of vinyl LPs from attics, garage sales, and dusty archives. Pieced together, these scratched, once-loved and now-forgotten audio gems tell a vibrant tale: the story of Jews in America.
Jews on Vinyl is a unique exhibition based on their new book: And You Shall Know Us by the Trail of Our Vinyl: The Jewish Past as Told by the Records We Have Loved and Lost, which spans the history of Jewish recorded music from the 1940s to the 1980s, weaving an account that begins with sacred songs and ends with the holy trinity of Neil, Barbra, and Barry.
The exhibition features a soundtrack of highlights from these LPs to provide opportunities for Museum visitors to experience forgotten moments in Jewish American pop history. Much of the music is no longer available in any format and through this exhibition, audiences will have the unprecedented opportunity to explore new perspectives on Jewish identity and history through this exciting aspect of Jewish culture.
Guest curated by Roger Bennett and Josh Kun. They are the creators of trailofourvinyl.com and co-founders of Reboot Stereophonic, a nonprofit record label dedicated to rereleasing lost classics from the Jewish past.
Exhibit:
February 6 - June 9, 2009
The Contemporary Jewish Museum
736 Mission Street, San Francisco - map
www.thecjm.org
$10 Adults | $8 Students and Seniors | Free, Members & under 18
Buy tickets online
Jews on Vinyl was organized by the Contemporary Jewish Museum with guest co-curators Roger Bennett and Josh Kun. Lead support is provided by from Kenneth and Anna Zankel.
