The Amichai Windows

Reading the Amichai poem, “The Jews” at the USHMM

It is hard to describe the feeling as I took the elevator upstairs.

On the eve of Israel Independence Day recently, I presented the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum library in Washington, D.C., with a copy of my work, The Amichai Windows.

I had used a number of photos from the museum’s photo collection. After I finished my artist book, I brought in a copy to show to Lenore Bell, the library director, and Judith Cohen, who was in charge of the photo archive. They fell in love with the work and said that they would try to find a donor.

In my 10 years of making the work, it’s not something I ever anticipated. A year later, though, they wrote to tell me that they had found a donor to underwrite the artist book’s acquisition. So, it was only fitting that I would deliver their copy of The Amichai Windows on the eve of Israel’s Independence Day.

My wife, Laura, and I gathered in a conference room in the library with a handful of librarians, museum employees and volunteers. And then a remarkable coincidence happened. One of the images that I had used in the spread for the poem, “Eternal Window,” contained a photo of a young girl who had survived and later volunteered at the museum. Continue reading →

I am happy to report that a private collector in Australia has purchased a copy of The Amichai Windows for her collection. It was simply serendipitous that our paths crossed.

I had ventured up to New York City in early March to participate in two artist book fairs. This was an ambitious undertaking, to say the least,  because they overlapped with each other. The Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair took place on Saturday and Sunday on the East side; and the Booklyn Artists’ Book Fair occurred on Sunday on the West side.

On Friday, I went from our hotel to one of the fairs, set up the booth; then, back to the hotel and to the other fair to set up. It was a little hair raising but that was really the hardest part; then, my wife and I split up staffing the two fairs.

By chance, the collector was visiting New York City and heard about the Manhattan Fine Press Fair. She came down the stairs to the basement of the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, looked around and ended up at my booth.

I shared with her the story of how and why I made the artist book, Amichai’s life and work, and of course some of the spreads. She was particularly taken with the beauty of the work as well as Amichai’s poems themselves.

We arranged for her to take a copy of The Amichai Windows back with her on the plane to Sydney. Eventually, she said, she would bequeath the work to a major institution in Sydney so that others can enjoy it, too.

Exhibitors and visitors to the Manhattan Fine Press fair.