Melvin Metelits
Artist's Statement: Jacob Colon, Journalism
My storyteller and recent mentor, Melvin Metelits, was part of a different generation of Philadelphia Communists from the other storytellers featured in this exhibit. While many of the other storytellers were most active in the Communist Party during the 1950s, Melvin didn't enter the Party until the early 1960s. He was not as impacted by McCarthyism as many of the other storytellers. Instead, his Communist activity focused on later period issues such as the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. It was interesting as a student and an artist to get this perspective of a different Communist generation. Every generation of Communists - even the generation today - uses the same Marxist principles to their current issues.
Working with Melvin also gave me a unique perspective into left-wing Jewish politics because Melvin is a religious Jewish man. He, like many of the other storytellers, left the Communist Party over ten years ago, but he replaced his passion for Communism with a passion for Judaism. Because Melvin is presently invested in the religious practice of Judaism, his history as a Communist activist is heavily infused with his current Jewish learnings and teachings of the present. This sometimes made it difficult to fully understand his past as an activist separately from his present as a religious man.
Being Jewish myself, I have been deeply influenced by Melvin's Judaism. Some would call Melvin a paradox: he believes in God (in some way, shape, or form), but he also believes in Marxist principles, which heavily criticize and deny the existence of God. This contradiction in Melvin's own life fascinates me. My performance piece is an attempt at reconciling these controversies both for Melvin and myself. I believe that Melvin's Judaism and his Marxist principles can coexist within him and within society. I believe that one can be religious while at the same time pursuing social revolution according to Marx's theories.
Artist’s Statement: Annmarie Dinan Hansen, Religious Studies, 2013
My piece is meant to show the different manifestations of Melvin's identity as a teacher and a leader of people. The three images I chose depict this identity manifesting itself in many forms. I chose to present the images together as a composite in order to show that all of his identities are all part of a whole. I initially chose mirror, because when I think of my relationship with Melvin, I realize that more than anything else, it has been a process of self-discovery. Melvin transcended his role as a teacher for me, and forced me to reflect on myself and on different ideas. My final project, a gel transfer onto a mirror- a process which I learned in my hybrid process class- depicts Melvin as he acts as a teacher and activist in several stages of life.
I've been to Melvin's more times than I can count. The first time I went to visit, I was going to one of his Torah classes. These would become a regular event for me- the group is small and I feel an affinity to the other people who study under him. However, what struck me the first time was how much these people really respected him and wanted to know what he had to say, they leaned in, and begged him to go on a tangent about mysticism. Melvin clearly did not just help them read the bible- he was a spiritual mentor to them as he would soon be for me as well.
Melvin became something of a spiritual mentor to me- we both believe in social and economic justice and have a close, but sometimes apprehensive relationship to God. Both of us use our spirituality to understand our duty to other people. I enjoyed studying scripture with Melvin, who showed me many beautiful lessons and stories. Despite being from different faith backgrounds and generations, we were able to form a close friendship. I hope that my piece can show people who walk into Tyler’s atrium who Melvin is to me- a man with strong wills and values, who will forever live his life as a teacher.
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