Unison Arts will present a retrospective exhibition of paintings and works in ceramics by artist, storyteller, scientist and Holocaust survivor Tibor Spitz from August 14 through September 18 at the Unison Arts Center, with an opening reception on Sunday, August 14 from 4 to 6 p.m.
The paintings on view tell the story of Tibor’s and his family’s suffering and survival. They tell the story of the shared traumas of a people. The works in ceramics translate and fortify the material and narrative gesture of Tibor’s paintings. Sculptural forms suggesting portraits of loved ones specify and individuate the experience of suffering of exemplary individuals: the distressed mother, the loving matronly neighbor, the rabbi bearing witness, the horrified father figure. Together the works tell the story of a people and a family witnessing their suffering, memories turned to works of art that offer a redemptive account of survival, grace and light in darkness.
Tibor’s story was recently featured in the PBS documentary film, We Remember: Songs of Survivors, currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and PBS. Produced by local filmmakers Ilene Cutler, Tim Miller and Tim Guetterman, and the result of collaborative effort between the community arts organization SageArts and Jewish Family Service of Orange County, the documentary will be screened during the exhibition’s closing reception on September 18.
Unison is located at 68 Mountain Rest Road in New Paltz. For additional information, call (845) 255-1559.
Before you click away... 
