University of Nebraska at Omaha

Witness: The Art of Samuel Bak

Over the course of three days, The University of Nebraska at Omaha celebrated Samuel Bak’s new exhibition Witness: The Art of Samuel Bak, and invited notable guest speakers (including Bak himself) to participate in discussions surrounding the permeating effects of the Holocaust, human rights, and the world today.

Bak in Conversation:

On Wednesday, September 25th, 2019, in the Strauss Performing Arts Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, artist and author Samuel Bak spoke about his work in the exhibition Witness: The Art of Samuel Bak, which opened September 3rd. The exhibition will be on view through November 14th, 2019 and features seventy pieces of Bak’s work spanning five decades of his artistic journey.   

Bak began his talk by announcing he hadn’t prepared a speech; instead, he wanted everyone to feel like they were sitting in his living room having an intimate conversation. Through his interactions with the audience, he expressed memories of his family and his relationship with his mother, his faith, and his struggle to find his artistic style after the war.

Through these discussions, Bak welcomed and encouraged others to participate, create, and continue conversations about issues of human rights through the lens of the Holocaust.  

Art & Human Rights Symposium:

On Thursday, September 26th, scholars from across the region came together in the Leonard and Shirley Goldstein Center for Human Rights to participate in a symposium on the intersection of Contemporary Art and Human Rights inspired by Bak’s work.   

The symposium began with an opening and welcome from Curtis Hutt, Director of the Goldstein Center for Human Rights.  

Adrian Duran, Associate Professor of Art and Art History at UNO, spoke about Bak in his talk: Context of Art and the Holocaust.  

Amy Morris, Associate Professor at UNO, continued the conversation about Bak’s work by examining his artistic style and symbolism within his paintings.    

Connie Schaffer, Teacher of Education and Associate Professor at UNO, gave an inspiring speech called The Influence of a Single Painting: Introducing Educational Rights as a Human Right.  

In the Community Engagement Center, Josha Sietsma gave a talk entitled The Good Life: Alexander, the Capitol and Human Rights. 

Mark Celinscak, the Executive Director of the Sam & Frances Fried Holocaust & Genocide Academy and Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies at UNO, presented his lecture: The Art of Witness. He stated that “[Witness] presents the deeply symbolic and evocative worlds Samuel Bak creates and invites us all to confront, interrogate and repair.” Through this confronting of the past, Bak’s Holocaust experience and Jewish life becomes tangible for the viewer. For Celinscak, this makes the work inherently more accessible, impactful, and critical to understanding the Holocaust and the importance of never forgetting its consequences, victims, or survivors.  

Gary Phillips, author of Just Is in the Art of Samuel Bak and Religious Studies Professor at Wabash College, delivered a keynote address at the UNO Art Gallery. This speech focused on Bak’s work in relation to human rights, specifically with Bak’s symbolic use of Lady Justice, who is shown in various states of ruin. Phillips noted that Bak’s work compels viewers to confront and attempt to reassemble the shards of the past to forge new understandings and restore justice to the world.  

Henry Greenspan, a psychologist, oral historian, and playwright, gave a multi-media presentation called The Witness as Dramatist.  

In his presentation, Greenspan shared that he has been interviewing, writing about, and educating people about Holocaust survivors since the 1970s. 

Many of the stories he collected came alive in his one-man-play called Remnants (1991), which has received more than a dozen awards and has been performed around the world. Through his performances, the perseverance and determination of survivors is given an opportunity to be heard, acknowledged, and remembered.  

A link to a snippet of Greenspan’s play, Remnants, can be found here:

 
To close the symposium, Philosopher Lewis Gordon gave a keynote address on the topic of Art and the Right to a Livable Life.  

His presentation enforced the idea that art – like Bak’s masterful paintings – creates an outlet for expression and gives humans the opportunity to share their experiences with the world, have their voices heard, and connect people across the globe. 

Special Leonard & Shirley Goldstein Lecture on Human Rights:

On Thursday, September 26th, in the Strauss Performing Arts Center of UNO, The Honorable Richard Goldstone presented his lecture called The Current State of International Criminal Justice.  

As a former South African Judge, Goldstone became a National Figure during South Africa’s transition from apartheid. He later became Chief Prosecutor of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunals, investigating war crimes in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda. Throughout much of his life, he has worked tirelessly as an advocate for human rights and received many awards for his humanitarian efforts, including the International Justice Award of the John D and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. He is an honorary President of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association, has chaired UN Committees, and is author of the book For Humanity: Reflections of a War Crimes Investigator (2001).  

In his speech, Goldstone addressed the current state of international justice in correlation with Bak’s work. Through carefully selected paintings, Goldstone discussed themes surrounding human rights, laws of armed conflict, US policies, and international criminal justice.  

Written by: Linda Wallentine