Pass the Schmear
Bagels, wooden dowels, wheat bundles, date palm leaves, 2017
Pass the Schmear was part of Sukkahwood, an event in Inwood Park. This sukkah is an homage to a sculpture by my mother from early in her career around 1969. It's called I Only Use Kosher Clay and is comprised of a "bagel kit" encasing hyper-realistic ceramic sculptures of bagels, plates, cutlery, schmear, and lox, which referenced her childhood Sunday bagel breakfasts in Miami. Since it's innovation in the 16th-century Jewish Poland, the bagel has provided sustenance and a sense of comfort and community for Jewish families and their neighbors all over the world. The use of this doughy and delicious symbol references the significance and steadiness of tradition within the Jewish community despite geographical diversity of the Diaspora.