It is a troubling time to be Jewish.  

I want the hostages returned, a bilateral ceasefire, a state and safety for the Jewish people and for Palestinians.

To my fellow Jews, I see you and I am sending you love and support. As a fellow human, what #$% happening? How do we get to world of less war, death and fear?

If you have Jewish friends, please check in on them and be vocal against antisemitism. We need your support. I am all for free speech, and against war, but as Ken said in his recent speech at UCBerkeley, “When it veers towards intimidation and harassment, it crosses a line.” Stand up when you see anti-Semitism. Talk to your friends and your kids about it. I highly recommend watching this debate held at UC Berkeley between Mosab Hassan Yousef (son of a Hamas co-founder) and Marc Lamont Hill over Gaza, Israel, and the peace process. It’s very powerful to hear them debate this whole issue. I also recommend this TED talk featuring a Palestinian and Israeli discussing peace, dignity, and safety. Lastly, Mo Husseini's piece, "50 Completely True Things," is probably the best thing I've read on everything going on. Mo is a Palestinian American who I went to UCB with and there is such clarity in his words.

These intense times have only magnified how much I value being Jewish. An artwork rushed out of me that will be a part of the Contemporary Jewish Museum's first exhibition drawn from their open call, California Jewish Open which opens on June 6, Please register to join us here.

It was also beautiful to see Nancy Hoffman Gallery get singled out by ArtNews as one of the best booths at Expo Chicago Art Fair in Chicago, describing my artwork “Perspective” in such a beautiful way. This will be one of the artworks in my solo show there in NYC this fall, opening Sept 5, 2024. 

I had a great day making art for Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (Marin MOCA), which asked five local artists to open up our studios to middle and high school students. You can see what we created below. There is a tiny figurine of a woman at the center base of all those foxtails we collected at the Sausalito waterfront.

I am so grateful for my family, friends, and all the people who support my work, especially for all the incredible love and feedback you all poured my way for my new short film The Teen Brain executive produced by Goldie Hawn and MindUP. Thank you. If you are down in the Peninsula, Google Visitor experience is having a screening on Sunday May 19 at 1 pm. I will be there to do a Q & A. Tix info here.

I felt so much naches (Yiddish for pride) recently for all the Webby Award winners and nominees. This thing I started when I was 26, and ran for nearly 10 years, is still out in the world each year, doing its thing honoring people and telling them “Good job.” Such a primal thing we humans want to hear.

In this newsletter, so many different mediums to focus your mind on, including Ken’s talk on the State of Robotics featured on TED.com and a conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi and Krista Tippett; art from the California Jewish Museum, Remedios Varo at the Wendi Norris Gallery, Mickalene Thomas, and Nellie King Solomon; things to watch and hear by Sandi DuBowski, Reboot, Josh Kornbluth, Ari Wallach, Tanya Selvaratnam, Jon Reiss, Ari Kelman, and Claire Brooks, and two new shows on Broadway; things to read by James Doty, Elisa Strauss, Maria Finn, Sarah Thornton, Naama Shefi, Steven Johnson, and a piece on Albert Brooks; and things to support and explore from Support ERA, Michele Pred, United Nations Association Film Festival, and Karma Club, a new song by my niece Claire Brooks, and a great new 60 second spot from Doomscroll by one of my best friends Julie Hermelin and her team to get people to vote.

To wanting peace in this world so badly it hurts.

Love,

Tiffany

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Gratifying to see many people viewing our new film The Teen Brain in schools, homes and at events. May is mental health month -- a great time to watch the film and explore ways to have a healthy mind in the teen years. MindUP will also be doing a lot of work with the film and schools for fall back to school. Will keep you posted here. Bay Area folks, Google Visitor experience is having a screening on this Sunday May 19 at 1 pm, and I will be there to do a Q & A. Tix info here.

So great to see TED.com feature Ken's talk on the state of robotics.

I always look forward to hearing wisdom from Krista Tippett, especially looking forward to this conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi at JCCSF on May 21.

Those of you in the Bay Area, I am hoping you can join for the California Jewish Open show at the CJM on June 6. You can register here. It's been such a hard seven months; this will be a beautiful evening of community and art.

Wendi Norris has a great gallery in San Francisco and is going to have a pop-up in NY. Her gallery features work by a lot of amazing surreal women artists and Remedios Varo is no exception.

I love Mickalene Thomas's use of materials -- her work is so powerful. Looking forward to this show in LA.

Nellie King Solomon's work is so powerful! She is a good friend and I loved the gorgeous review of her work by David M. Roth, "Slouching Towards LA with Nellie King Solomon." He is pretty much calling her the Joan Didion of painting. Agreed. I wore this orange cotton robe that reminded me of her work to her opening. It's up for 2 more weeks in Oakland. Highly recommend this show.

This free event asks how thinkers including Shakespeare, Socrates, Hypatia and Laozi might help guide us in as we journey outside Earth. Learn more and register herehttps://www.eventbrite.com/e/shakespeare-on-mars-tickets-903303714727?aff=oddtdtcreator.

Director Sandi DuBowski and subject Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie are both amazing, soulful humans and dear friends. All those words don't seem like enough to convey them and this brilliant new film, Sabbath Queen, that Sandi has been making about Amichai for 20 years!! I got to see a sneak peek of the movie and it's fantastic. I'll be flying across the country for the premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC. The opening night is sold out but there are other screenings on June 10 and 14. Tickets are here; run, don't walk.

I was able to see Jacob Kornbluth's new short film about the punk scene and white supremacy at an event hosted by Reboot. We’ve Been Here Before connects the dots between mass shootings, the rise in anti-semitism, and the rise in hate violence in America in a fresh way. It follows the work of Eric Ward, a renowned expert on the relationship between authoritarian movements, hate violence, and preserving inclusive democracy. Ward was in the punk rock subculture when neo-Nazis infiltrated the punk scene in the 1980’s and 90’s. Keep your eye out for it; it is so good and relevant to this moment.

This new video short, a collaboration between Reboot Studios and Paramount, features Brian Molyneux's portraits of individuals who identify as Jewish, highlighting the rich diversity within the Jewish community across various dimensions such as age, gender and race. It will air on MTV, Comedy Central, CMT, Pop, TV Land, Paramount Network, Smithsonian Channel and BET throughout May as part of Jewish American Heritage Month. 

My very good friend Tanya Selvaratnam's documentary short for Story Syndicate, Love to the Max, will be widely available through The New Yorker soon. The film follows the targeting of trans kids through the story of Max Briggle and his family in Texas. Here is a fantastic article about it. It will be released June 26. Keep your eye out for it.

Ari Wallach is an old friend and it was wonderful to get a preview of his new series giving an optimistic view of the future. We sure need it.

My filmmaker friend Jon Reiss has a great new podcast. If you're interested in plant medicines, definitely check it out.

If you're interested in a scholarly discussion about everything going on, I highly recommend this podcast.

I'm definitely taking Odessa to see this new Broadway musical about the Women’s Suffrage movement. The ERA coalition is a partner. Can't wait to see it in the theater!

Cabaret is one of my all-time favorite movies and musicals. When I saw the Alan Cumming version itmade me want him to emcee the Webby Awards, which he did, twice. I can't wait to see this new revival starring Eddie Redmayne.

Dr. James Doty is brilliant professor of neurosurgery at Stanford. He and I collaborated on an art installation I did for UCSF called The Brain Portrait. I loved reading the galley of his new book on the science behind visualizing what you want in life. It's not woo woo, it's science, and it's fantastic. Also be sure to listen to his great interview with Dax Sheperd on the Armchair Expert podcast.

Maria Finn is such a magical human being. She collects truffles with her dog and creates incredible feasts. Her new book Forage. Gather. Feast. just came out. It's a wonderful collection of essential recipes for a good life. Bay Area folks, don't miss the upcoming event at Spaulding Marina on June 22 featuring a dinner from the book and a talk on the ways AI is giving us expanded access to the smallest and largest creatures in the ocean.

This new book on the history and benefits of caregiving is important and moving. I went to a panel for the book with Elissa Strauss moderated by Lauren Schiller that had so many insights about care and our society. Just started this book and it's so good!

I just went to the book launch talk for Sarah Thornton's new book about breasts and why they matter. Her writing is so buoyant and insightful.

One of the things I love about being Jewish is the holidays and rituals. This is a great book to accompany all of that. It comes from the wonderful Jewish Food Society, founded by Naama Shefi and staffed by program director Amanda Dell.

Can't wait to read Steven Johnson's new book about two detectives and the American anarchist movement. Just heard him speak at my favorite independent bookstore Book Passage about it. 

I always kvell when I see the world celebrating my brother in law Albert Brooks. This Atlantic article gets him so completely.

Feminist Majority is organizing to register voters on campuses in the battleground states, including Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and North Carolina. By campaigning to turn out this critical, though often overlooked demographic, they hope to secure a Congress that will vote to declare the Equal Rights Amendment valid and ratified as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution and that will enact a national law to protect access to reproductive health care including abortion. For more information or to make a contribution in support of the Campaign, contact our West Coast office: 310-556-2500, or visit their website.

Michele Pred is a great rabblerouser whom I have rabbleroused with. Her next project is the Vote for Democracy billboard exhibition, which will take place during the Republic National Convention in Milwaukee. Michele is organizing and curating the event, and the open call for work has been extended to tomorrow, May 17. Artists, learn more about submitting here.

The United Nations Association Film Festival is accepting entries for its 2024 film festival until May 14 (regular deadline) or May 24 (late deadline). Learn more about the festival and submitting your work here.

After spending so much time thinking about the teen brain, I have so much appreciation for the free space for teens recently created by Sally Newsom. It's such a great resource for youth.

I love my niece Claire Brooks's new music video Boat!

I leave you with this 60 seconds of brilliance. If you feel, like me, that you're trapped in a droomscroll, this 1-min film will remind you that your voice matters in this upcoming election, and inspire you to put down your phone and do something. Julie Hermelin and her Gutsy Media are behind this important work for the election.

Until next time....love, Tiffany

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