Artist's Statement: Ellie Miesner, Art Education 

 

Equality, hard work, honesty, and unity are a few of the values at the center of Doris Kaplan’s life journey. The images in this piece are meant to represent those values and the didactic stories that Doris has shared with us over the past year.

These images and words depicted in this piece originate from a variety of sources ranging from decades-old Leftist publications, interviews with Doris in her home here in Philadelphia, and documentaries paying tribute to those who fought to make a better quality of life a reality for themselves and the community.
The way the images overlap, interact, fade out, and at times overpower each other is meant to be symbolic of the stories that Doris has shared in her struggles and triumphs of fighting for truth over the years. Members of the community that we call Radical Jewish Philadelphia stood united as one, but were often torn down and marginalized by acts of hatred and prejudice. As you struggle and search for images and words within this piece, keep in mind the struggle that this community has faced in their search for the advancement of truth.

Another important aspect of this piece is the layer of string art that hovers above the image compilation beneath it. Throughout her life, Doris has found symbolic importance in using her hands. When I asked her what one powerful symbol could be of her life’s journey, this was her answer.
As a child, she found refuge and rapport at a summer camp called Camp Kinderland where she played with her peers and made crafts during the day. It was a stark contrast to the reality of her school days where she recalls her sister being her only friend, as the other children “knew she was different”. Her identity as a Jewish girl and the member of a family that associated with Left-wing politics often left her feeling isolated. Later, Doris relied on the used her hands in her career while she worked as an Occupational Therapist and in her role as a mother. She continues to make art today. The creation of the board behind this image and the installation of the nails and thread are meant to pay tribute to this element of her story.

The suspended thread also connects important areas of the work that recount stories of Doris’s journeys. One prominent thread connects an image representing Philadelphia with another representing Birobidjan, the Jewish Autonomous Region in Russia that she lived in for a few years as a child. As these strings connect images and flow through the piece, allow yourself to search for the connections and piece together intertwining components that make Doris’s story complete.