Temima Gezari
Encyclopedia
Temima Gezari was an American
artist and art educator. Her life's work in painting and sculpture is presented in the photographic retrospective The Art of Temima Gezari, edited by her son, Daniel Gezari.
Temima Gezari was born Fruma Nimtzowitz on December 21, 1905 in Pinsk
, Russia
and came to the United States as an eight-month-old baby. She grew up in Brooklyn
with her parents Israel and Bella, sister Etta, and brother Ruby. The family lived in the back of her father's hardware store on Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville
. She graduated from Brooklyn Girls High School in 1921 and the Teacher's Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
in 1925. She went on to study art at the Parsons New York School of Fine and Applied Arts
with Emil Bisttram and Howard Giles (1923–1927), and the Art Students League of New York
. In 1933, Diego Rivera
befriended and mentored her while he was painting his mural at Rockefeller Center
. She also studied at Columbia University
, the New School for Social Research, and Hunter College
.
In the early 1930s, when few unmarried women traveled alone to pursue their dreams, Temima drove across country in a Model A Ford, spending summers painting in Taos, New Mexico
and in Mexico. She traveled alone to Paris, Egypt, and eventually Palestine, where she painted and taught art at kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek
. There she met Zvi Gezari, an early member of the kibbutz movement Hashomer Hatzair
. They married in Tel Aviv in 1938, and then she and Zvi moved back to New York City.
Professor Mordecai Kaplan
, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism
, had a great influence on her professional life. In 1935, as Dean of the Teachers Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary
, he appointed her to the faculty, where she taught art education and art history over the next forty-two years.
In 1940, Dr. Alexander Dushkin, director of the newly formed Jewish Education Committee, asked her to be the Director of the Department of Art Education of what is now the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York, a position she held for 63 years, retiring in 2003 at the age of 98.
In 1995, Gezari was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York
.
Zvi and Temima built a house and sculpture studio in Rocky Point, New York
. Zvi pursued a successful career as an industrial engineer; he was also an amateur astronomer who, in 1953, built a telescope for Albert Einstein
. This telescope was the first one that Einstein had looked through. They raised two sons, Daniel (now a NASA astrophysicist) and Walter (a businessman, entrepreneur and industry leader in marine manufacturing).
Well into her 90s, Temima was a fierce advocate for the role of art in child development and for the innate creative spirit of the child. During her long career, she lectured on art and education all over the U.S. and around the world. Temima was a humanist. She discovered, and actively promoted, an important approach to the development of full human potential: recognizing children's innate creativity and encouraging them to express it. Her book Footprints and New Worlds (Reconstructionist Press 1957) presents her philosophy of child development through her experiences in art with children and adults. Temima Gezari dedicated her life to helping others find their creative self: to recognize in her art, and in ourselves, the creative capacity of the human being.
She died peacefully at her home and studio in Rocky Point at age 103.
Retrospective collection of her work:
Philosophy of Art Education:
Autobiographical 5 Book Series:
The following out of print books may also be obtained through Studio Workshop Press:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist and art educator. Her life's work in painting and sculpture is presented in the photographic retrospective The Art of Temima Gezari, edited by her son, Daniel Gezari.
Temima Gezari was born Fruma Nimtzowitz on December 21, 1905 in Pinsk
Pinsk
Pinsk , a town in Belarus, in the Polesia region, traversed by the river Pripyat, at the confluence of the Strumen and Pina rivers. The region was known as the Marsh of Pinsk. It is a fertile agricultural center. It lies south-west of Minsk. The population is about 130,000...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and came to the United States as an eight-month-old baby. She grew up in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
with her parents Israel and Bella, sister Etta, and brother Ruby. The family lived in the back of her father's hardware store on Pitkin Avenue in Brownsville
Brownsville, Brooklyn
Brownsville is a residential neighborhood located in eastern Brooklyn, New York City.The total land area is one square mile, and the ZIP code for the neighborhood is 11212....
. She graduated from Brooklyn Girls High School in 1921 and the Teacher's Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
in 1925. She went on to study art at the Parsons New York School of Fine and Applied Arts
Parsons The New School for Design
Parsons The New School For Design, known colloquially as Parsons, is the art and design college of The New School university. It is located in New York City's Greenwich Village, and has produced artists and designers such as Marc Jacobs, Dean and Dan Caten, Norman Rockwell, Donna Karan, Jane...
with Emil Bisttram and Howard Giles (1923–1927), and the Art Students League of New York
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
. In 1933, Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera
Diego María de la Concepción Juan Nepomuceno Estanislao de la Rivera y Barrientos Acosta y Rodríguez was a prominent Mexican painter born in Guanajuato, Guanajuato, an active communist, and husband of Frida Kahlo . His large wall works in fresco helped establish the Mexican Mural Movement in...
befriended and mentored her while he was painting his mural at Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
. She also studied at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, the New School for Social Research, and Hunter College
Hunter College
Hunter College, established in 1870, is a public university and one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Hunter grants undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees in more than one hundred fields of study, and is recognized...
.
In the early 1930s, when few unmarried women traveled alone to pursue their dreams, Temima drove across country in a Model A Ford, spending summers painting in Taos, New Mexico
Taos, New Mexico
Taos is a town in Taos County in the north-central region of New Mexico, incorporated in 1934. As of the 2000 census, its population was 4,700. Other nearby communities include Ranchos de Taos, Cañon, Taos Canyon, Ranchitos, and El Prado. The town is close to Taos Pueblo, the Native American...
and in Mexico. She traveled alone to Paris, Egypt, and eventually Palestine, where she painted and taught art at kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek
Mishmar HaEmek is a kibbutz in northern Israel. Located in the western Jezreel Valley, it falls under the jurisdiction of Megiddo Regional Council. In 2006 it had a population of 964....
. There she met Zvi Gezari, an early member of the kibbutz movement Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair
Hashomer Hatzair is a Socialist–Zionist youth movement founded in 1913 in Galicia, Austria-Hungary, and was also the name of the group's political party in the Yishuv in the pre-1948 British Mandate of Palestine...
. They married in Tel Aviv in 1938, and then she and Zvi moved back to New York City.
Professor Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Kaplan
Mordecai Menahem Kaplan , was a rabbi, essayist and Jewish educator and the co-founder of Reconstructionist Judaism along with his son-in-law Ira Eisenstein.-Life and work:...
, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism
Reconstructionist Judaism is a modern American-based Jewish movement based on the ideas of Mordecai Kaplan . The movement views Judaism as a progressively evolving civilization. It originated as a branch of Conservative Judaism, before it splintered...
, had a great influence on her professional life. In 1935, as Dean of the Teachers Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
, he appointed her to the faculty, where she taught art education and art history over the next forty-two years.
In 1940, Dr. Alexander Dushkin, director of the newly formed Jewish Education Committee, asked her to be the Director of the Department of Art Education of what is now the Board of Jewish Education of Greater New York, a position she held for 63 years, retiring in 2003 at the age of 98.
In 1995, Gezari was awarded an honorary Doctor of Letters degree by the Jewish Theological Seminary of New York
Jewish Theological Seminary of America
The Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A...
.
Zvi and Temima built a house and sculpture studio in Rocky Point, New York
Rocky Point, New York
Rocky Point is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 10,185.Rocky Point is a community in the town of Brookhaven.-Geography:...
. Zvi pursued a successful career as an industrial engineer; he was also an amateur astronomer who, in 1953, built a telescope for Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
. This telescope was the first one that Einstein had looked through. They raised two sons, Daniel (now a NASA astrophysicist) and Walter (a businessman, entrepreneur and industry leader in marine manufacturing).
Well into her 90s, Temima was a fierce advocate for the role of art in child development and for the innate creative spirit of the child. During her long career, she lectured on art and education all over the U.S. and around the world. Temima was a humanist. She discovered, and actively promoted, an important approach to the development of full human potential: recognizing children's innate creativity and encouraging them to express it. Her book Footprints and New Worlds (Reconstructionist Press 1957) presents her philosophy of child development through her experiences in art with children and adults. Temima Gezari dedicated her life to helping others find their creative self: to recognize in her art, and in ourselves, the creative capacity of the human being.
She died peacefully at her home and studio in Rocky Point at age 103.
Books by Temima Gezari
The following books are published by Studio Workshop Press, 66 Noah's Path, Rocky Point, NY 11778:Retrospective collection of her work:
- The Art of Temima Gezari ISBN 0-9616269-0-9
Philosophy of Art Education:
- Now That I’m Ninety-Five ISBN 0-9616269-1-7
- Art and Education ISBN 0-9616269-2-5
- Footprints and New Worlds (see below)
Autobiographical 5 Book Series:
- Mama, Papa and Me ISBN 0-9616269-4-1
- Never a Dull Moment ISBN 0-9616269-7-6
- Is There a Tomorrow? Yes! ISBN 0-9616269-5-X
- This is the House that Zvi Built ISBN 0-9616269-6-8
- I Remember ISBN 0-9616269-3-3
The following out of print books may also be obtained through Studio Workshop Press:
- The Jewish Kindergarten by Deborah Pessin and Temima Gezari, Union of American Hebrew Congregations (1944)
- Dovidl by H. A. Friedland, Illustrated by Temima Gezari, National Council for Jewish Education (1944)
- Hillel’s Happy Holidays by Mamie Gamoran, Illustrated by Temima Gezari, Union of American Hebrew Congregations (1939)
- Footprints and New Worlds by Temima Gezari, Reconstructionist Press (1957)
External links
- video biography of Temima Gezari, made when she was in her early 90s