The Valley of Ezekiel
By LUCILLE CUTTI.P.B
When you m eet Josepha, you feel a radiance. The
remarkably blue eyes look a t you with warmth and a t­
tentiveness. Shining white hair, softly fnamna ho. (ooo
The voice is gentle, mellifluous.
~
~
When you see the tapes try she has created, you marvel
at its power and wonder bow this fragfle slightly built
woman could create a mastopieGe so vibrant is color, compoailion. texture, and line. Clearly, you are witness to Uie
cairacle of creation, in th e sense of divine inspiration.
Josepha, the professionBl name she has chosen, was bom
Jo Joiks. However, since 1961, when she turned to weav­
ing as her favored mediuin, she baa used the name Josqiba
for her 6 b » art.
.
i
I
from sheep of those colors. The other colors arc from
natural dyes and come from Norway, Crete, and Persia.
Many are handspun. A mere dixmer fork is aii she uses
to tightly press the strands of wool.
W hen I v isited Jo se p h s in G re a t Neck a t her
home’studio, I gained a better understarrdirig of the
strength and the passion reflected in this ambitious work.
The immediate inspiration is tbe quotation, "Come from
the four winds, obreatb, and breaths upon these dead men
and give them life." (Ezekiel's valley of the dry bones.l
Josephs, a convert CoJudaism, had been studying the bible intensively with two prominent rabbis. The project
was conceived a t th a t time.
The tapestry vibrates with color, making you think of
rare moments when your senses thrilled to the intense
colors of a briiiisnt sunset or sunrise th at burst upon your
consciousness. Textures, colors, design, blend har­
moniously to suggest the theme. Josephs explained to
me the inspiration for tbe sunrise over tbe horizon a t Che
top of (he tapestry. "1 was takmg a trip by Undrover in­
to the Sinai. I stayed a t Ste. Catherine’s Monastery and
in the predawn climbed to the summit of Mt. Sinai."
Tbegreatchallengetojosepha'singmiuitycamein deal­
ing with the mountains. "1 wanted to show their depth.
Finally, after much wrestling with the problem, I found
th e S O j u tH m h v s tlld v in g th e C h r n p e A liin d q r e p e e " you
look a t the tapestry, you see tbe mountains rise on each
sid ^ you feel yourself pulled into the work.
Another important symbol in tb e tapestry is the blue
water, foil to the dry bones in the lower foregroimd, and
to tbe mountains rising above and around it. This is tbe
"Ein," God’s eye. the source of life and renewal.
Josepha started the work conventionally by preparing
a cartoon for the concept, but as it grew, she found herself
working instinctively. When she saw th a t the cartoon was
wrong, she threw it away. Tapestry and weaver blend,
becomeintimately entwined, as in thaline by Yeats. "How
can we know tbe dancer from tbe dance?"
Josepha speaks about the future of this tapestry, " It
would be nice to see it in s temple or some !^ g e space
either here or in Israel where people can see it and enjo>'
it." This m ajor work was on exhibit most recently at
Yeshiva University Museum, in an important exhibitioD
of fiber art. I t ran be seen by appointment by calling Che
a rtist a t 487-2895.
Until 1961, as J o Jenks she did sculptural works, ot*
dungs and engravings which have been exhibited a t the
Whitney Museum, the Chicago A rt Institute, Monclair
Museum. Trenton M useum Newark Museum, the Con­
temporary A rte Pavillion of the 1939 World’s Fair in
FlushingMsadows, New York, thePhOndetphiaMuseum
Carnegie A rt Institute, Princeton Universily Museum,
and in numerous private collections. She also taught
privatdyandi£TttnpltU nivsaityandtheTeschefsC ollege of Ccdombia University.
anddsvdopedduringtbe years 1968 to 1975 when living
in.TpniRwiimi W hpnidinpmpnnadhnrloomfftTthiaflnA^Ar
w otk,"The Valley of Ezekid,” she never guessed th a t
b e im it would be completed, ahe would be leaving Israd.
Ih e project was of such m agnitude th a t it Cook seven
years to cmn^dete. The loom on which i t wae started was
too large to be traaaported, and a new loom had to be con­
stru cted here. Jo se p h s th e n bed th e arduous and
painstaking ta sk of remounting the threads.
The a rtist used the medieval Cobelin tapestry technic|ue to create shCe contemporary wcuk. She warped the
loom with the same strongecxd used for fiabermen's nets.
I t comes from ftaanana, Israd . “ It's strong enough to
take tbe t«»«inn exR ted on it,” Josepha explained. As
for the wools, tbe blacks and whitea are all natural, taken
A ooe-woman mchibitiaa. “M ididle Stuart," will open
March 20 a t Hillwood A rt Gallery of Long Island
University’s C.W. P ost Csmpus and run through April
'V
12, This exhibition will feature over 30 major pieces
dating from 1973 to 1983.
Micbdie S tu art's wnfc a s an srtist has recdvsd welldreerved a tte n tu a aiul iwaise ova- tb e y e an . She has
achieved a body of work th a t is of the highest caliber
In tmms of origiiiality and depth of conception as well
• s visud acuity and attractiveaesa. Over the la st decade
she has successful^ combined a sensa of human and
natural l—■ liw pe into a eoplusticated, modeniist a rt
f w i t L T extural^ and cdoiistically her w o k is both rich
and snbtle.
Hilhraad A rt G a lla y hours are 10-5 p.m. Monday
through Friday and 1-6 p-rtt on Sunday. Admission is
free.
India in Manhasset
By JANET BENSON
The iatricetely carved screen catcbee th e visitor's eye
and its deep walnut hue is echoed by the earth tones of
tbe warm, intimate room. Paintings, carvings and em­
broidery from all parts of India enliven the wails with
splashes of color. Thus surrounded by reminders of her
countryi Kama! Bhalla, the gracious proprietor of Paul
B balla’a Indian R esta u ra n t on Plendom e Road in
Manhasset, talked about her cuisine.
Our cooking is representative of northern India, she
said, and it is quitedifferent from ^ a t found in other parts
of the country, She continued, although southern recipes
are usually vegetarian, northern dishes may include
chickeni beef, lamb or shrimp. These are usually prepared
either tandoori or as a curry. Tandoori cooking is done
in a large clay pot, used as an oven, called a tandoor. Meat
is marinated in yogurt and apices, then placed on skewers
and hung vertically as it cooks. Tandoori breads, which
may be plain or stuffed, are simply slapped on the sides
of tbe tandoor to cook. Curry, Ms. Bhalla explained,
means sauce and curry powder is only one ingredient. The
basic sauce is made of fresh onions, garlic, ginger and
tomatoes. To this Is added different apkea which giveeach
type of curry its disUnctive flavor.
PaulBhalla's Indian Boataurant allows Long Islanders
to sample the dtiights cf northem ludian Cuisms without
going any farther r.bim M anhasset.
Long Is l^ d Pottery
Shown In Huntington
In lOfil ahAtiiFTigH to w M v in g , fln inl-erMt m ainrained
“Michelle Stuart”
Post Art Gallery
< //
Society Preparing
Marble Collection
The Marble CoUectors' Society of America has begun
gathering marldes of all types for a collaction which will
become a p a rt of the Sodsty library. TTiepurpose of this
collection will be to have a permanently sealed display
ofmarfalae. The display casas will be small m oughaothat
Che coUecCioa will be portable making i t available to
mussums.librsries, and other organizations. Each of the
marbles will be fully identified and the diqriay will be sent
abound the country on a loan basis. CoDtributors of
marbles will be permanently identified in an honor roll
of contributors. Three other coUecticms have been put
together by the Society. They have been donated to the
Smichsoruan, The Corning M useum of Glass, and the
Wheaton Village Mueeum.
A SlOcootributioo adds the donor'sname Cothe Society
Mailing T.iat. for a year: »18 for two years: 825 for three
years. Marble Collectors’ Society of America, P.O. Box
222, Trumbull, CT 06611.
The Huntington Historical Society is pleased to an­
nounce the opening of USEFUL ART: LONG ISLAND
POTTERY, an exhibition of 19th century earthenware
and stoneware organized by the Society for the Preser­
vation of Long Island Antiquities and fabricated by the
Gallery Association o( New York State. The exhibit may
be seen a t the Society’s Trade School Gallery at 209 Main
Street, Huntington, to Sunday. April 7th between the
hours of I and 4 pm. Tuesday thraugfa Friday, and on Sun­
day. There is an admission charge of Sl.OO.
The exhibit and accompanying catalogue focus on Long
Island’s "useful arts" or pottery which played an impor­
tant role in domestic life and household management from
tbe 17th to the middle of the 19th century. Inexpensive
earthenwere was extensively used for daily domestic
needs. The Huntington pottery mede a variety of earUrenware and stoneware forms ranging from dishes, pots and
jugs to chamber pots, mugs, puddingpsns, pipkins, spitoons and flowerpots. While stoneware veasels were often
stamped with the maker’s name, earthenware vessels
were not and many of the distinctive slipdecorated pat­
terns on these plates have only recently been identified
by archaeologists, who have uncovered chards in and
around theaiteof the H untington pottery. These chards
along with fifty pieces of pottery are included in tbe
exhibit.
Cynthia A. Corbett, gueet curator of tbe exhibit and
author of tbe laviafalyillustrated 100-page catalogue th at
accompanies the show, bee discovered th a t Long Island’s
potteries joined a mulcitudeof brick works in taking ad­
vantage of one of our rep o n 's m ost im portant resources,
the rich clay deposits of the North Shore. As early a s the
17th century, pottery quality clay was being mined at
U oyd Neck and potters who immigrated from Holland
wereproducingwaies in the area of Brooklyn’s M anhat­
ta n ferry laaHing
In Q ueeiu County, Whitestone attracted tbe first potr
tery which began to produce pottery in 1761 to be sold
a t M anhattan'sFly Market. TheHuntington pottery had
commencedproductionby 1803 and G reenpott's pottery
dominated by three generations of th e Hempstead fami­
ly opened its doors ca. 1819.