WATCH NOW: Beth Ames Swartz in Dialogue with Prof. Susan Aberth at the Phoenix Art Museum
About: Ecofeminist artist Beth Ames Swartz has been inspired by many intellectual, religious, and wisdom traditions, including Indigenous spirituality, Buddhism, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism, Chinese healing arts, Christianity, and Sufism, as she wrestles with the meaning of life, death, creativity, pain, and suffering. Hear from Beth Ames Swartz in conversation with Susan Aberth, Edith C. Blum Professor of Art History and Visual Culture at Bard College, as they discuss how Swartz’s art and aesthetics are motivated by the Jewish ideal of Tikkun Olam. They will discuss how societal challenges such as feminism, social inequality, and injustice can be addressed if we appreciate our connectedness to the healing power of earth, water, air, and fire, and if we see ourselves as part of the cycle of birth, life, aging, death, and renewal.
“Beth Ames Swartz paints from the soul and speaks to its joyous embodiment. The work is of a vision beyond seeing and moves with unheard sound. The lucid brilliance of eyes-closed night journeys are chronicled with the power of close-to-the eyes intimacy. Her radiant images breathe life into the form or our own remembrances.”
- James Turrell