Anika Smulovitz

     Anika Smulovitz is a jewish artist.  She is a professor of art metals at our own, Boise State University. Most of her artwork, is a combination between "contemporary society" and religion/culture.
     She was born in Eugene, Oregon. She acquired an M.F.A. and M.A. in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin along with a B.F.A. in Studio Art from University of Oregon. She has been a professor at Boise Sate for seven years and will be temporary chair while the current department chair takes his sabbatical. A large reason she chose to get a degree from University of Wisconsin is because one of the professors there was Jewish as well and did Judaica.
     The artwork from her latest Exhibition is called "Contemporary Judaica." In this body, and most of her other bodies of work, Anika uses symbols to express and explore the relationship between contemporary society and religious faith. This pieces can turn out more subtle or they can really force you to question the boundaries of faith and culture.
     Anika Smulovitz has artwork in a permanent collection in the Jewish Museum. This artwork would be two of her Torah Pointers. After her work was chosen for the permanent collection, Anika decided to make Contemporary Judaica her main artistic focus.
     Personally, I found Anika Smulovitz's art very beautiful. Her metal work is so flawless. Her work is simple, yet cultural. To me, it looks like she took a Jewish symbol and tried to form it into an everyday object. One piece in particular that I loved, was a piece called "The Key to the Tree of Life." It is a long, thin, bent key in silver metal. The curvature makes it look especially elegant. The top of the key is a detailed leaf. And the bottom has carved-out symbols.
     Overall, Anika Smulovitz is an incredible artist. Her work is of a unique style and idea. I think that everyone can ask some great questions and possibly draw some conclusions from examining her work.