Exploring Tikvah | Hope
Exhibit opening December 11, 6-7:30 p.m.
Artwork due December 4
Our second annual collaborative art exhibit, Community Canvas at The J, will explore what tikvah | hope means to various Birmingham organizations.
Read about and see images from last year’s exhibit opening.
The theme
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, a celebrated moral thinker and globally renowned intellect of Judaism, defines hope beautifully: “Optimism and hope are not the same. Optimism is the belief that the world is changing for the better; hope is the belief that, together, we can make the world better. Optimism is a passive virtue, hope an active one. It needs no courage to be an optimist, but it takes a great deal of courage to hope.”
Hope is actually the secondary meaning of the Hebrew word tikvah. Its primary definition is “a stretched cord of rope.” Some scholars interpret the stretched cord to be a metaphor for hope: just as a rope strains to hold, hope waits in tension but does not break.
What does hope look like for you and your organization?
This year’s theme challenges participating community members to consider what their hope is for the future. To participate, organizations will create and submit a 16×20” canvas art piece (canvas provided by The J) reflecting the Jewish value of tikvah along with an artist statement explaining the work.
Guidelines
Each participating organization should bring together a team (staff, volunteers, board members, patrons, clients) to design a 16×20” stretched canvas that reflects your interpretation of the theme Tikvah: Hope. The theme is intentionally open-ended to spark your creativity. The LJCC will provide your canvas.

- Use any medium to decorate your panel (see list below), but be aware of the overall weight as heavier material can prohibit hanging.
- Your art should be done in portrait orientation (vertical).
- Do not include your organization’s logo or name on the front of your panel unless it is part of the art design.
- To help us keep track of your art, write your organization’s name on the reverse side, lower left corner of your panel. We will create identification placards to hang next to each panel that will recognize your organization.
- Complete an artist statement (200 words maximum) that explains your work to the viewer. Note who, what, where, why, and how your work was created.
Your work will be shown during the gallery opening on December 11 and remain on display here at The J. You are welcome to leave your art here for continued display or pick it up after December.
Materials are up to you, and the following will work well on your stretched canvas:
- Acrylic paints
- Permanent markers
- Paint markers
- Thread
- Ribbon
- Puffy Paint
- Fabric paints or markers
- Photo transfer fabric