TheAmerican Jewish Museum, orAJM, is acontemporaryJewish art museum located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A department of theJewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Pittsburgh, the museum is located in theSquirrel Hill JCC at the corner Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue, in the heart of Pittsburgh's historically Jewish neighborhood. The museum was founded in 1998, and though it does not have a permanent collection, it hosts several original and traveling exhibitions each year. The AJM aims to explore contemporary Jewish issues through art and related programs that facilitate intercultural dialogue.[1]
Prior to 1998, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh had a small community gallery for nearly 25 years. Under the auspices ofLeslie A. GolombArchived 2010-05-14 at theWayback Machine, the gallery underwent a period of substantial growth, evolving into a museum and receiving accreditation from theCouncil of American Jewish Museums (CAJM).[2] Accreditation by CAJM requires strict adherence to standards regarding archives, catalogues, and curating, as well as educational programs and outreach.
Today, the AJM galleries are still located on the Pittsburgh JCC's Squirrel Hill campus. While the AJM continues to emphasize the Pittsburgh community in its exhibitions and programming, its scope has grown as it collaborates with regional, national, and international artists and organizations. Additionally, the AJM frequently explores Jewish themes such as contemporary iterations of rituals, but aims to reach the wider community though exhibits with broad appeal and programming that encourages interfaith discourse.
As a non-collecting museum, the AJM works with local, national, and international artists to create original exhibitions,[3] and occasionally hosts traveling exhibitions from institutions such as theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum.[4] Here is a list of recent, notable exhibitions:
^Leslie A. Golomb and Barbara Broff Goldman,To Speak Her Heart: An Illustrated Anthology of Jewish Women's Prayers and Poems (Pittsburgh:Rodef Shalom Congregation, 2008).
