Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

This May we’re highlighting Szu-Chieh Yun (b. 1988), a Taiwanese American painter based in Boston. As this year’s Community Arts Initiative lead artist, Szu-Chieh has guided more than 170 students through an exercise in world-building focused on nature and landscapes for the exhibition “Into the Forest.” Through experimental drawing, painting, and collage sessions, she empowered students to imagine their own path in life using the forest as a metaphor. See the exhibition starting May 16!

Jewish American Heritage Month

This May learn about the Jewish immigrant population in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in the first part of the 20th century through the story of Samuel Katz’s Torah ark. Created for the Orange Street Shul, this splendidly carved ritual object was one of about 24 Torah arks made by Katz for synagogues in and around Boston. His richly decorated Torah arks and bimahs became symbols of flourishing Jewish life in this Boston neighborhood.

See it in the gallery “Intentional Beauty: Jewish Ritual Art from the Collection.”