Main
Testimonial

Joani Rothenberg's art is both unique and participatory. Joani was commissioned to create a piece commemorating the JCC's 50th anniversary. The completed work now graces our main lobby and represents the essence of the JCC beautifully. Joani has a marvelous gift of visualization and a unique abilitiy to transfer that vision into magnificent art. She has touched many lives in a very positive and memorable way.

- Ira Jaffee, Executive Director, Jewish Community Center of Indianapolis

The eyes are thought to be the window to the soul. Joani Rothenberg's vibrant visual art forms have transformed the space and ambiance of our school's cafeteria and Cultural Arts Center. Pulsating a passion for Judaism in her every brush stroke, Joani's paintings explore the richness of Jewish text and tradition. More than a resident artist, Joani is a masterful teacher, nurturing and inspiring young minds while simultaneously modeling patience, perseverance, open-mindedness and creativity in color and design. I have been privileged to study Torah with three generations in Joani's family,an inexorable bonding of generations to their collective yet intensely personal Jewish heritage. Her contributions to the Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis are exhilarating testimony to the unity and eternity that is the Jewish nation.

- Miriam Gettinger, Principal, Hasten Hebrew Academy

 

Public Art

  • Murals

    Murals

    Murals on canvas tell stories — and more — in myriad ways. The murals I create most often exist in the public sphere and therefore must live to rouse curiosities, questions, emotions and conversations about the subjects they portray. The process of creating a mural begins with a deep understanding of the project vision; and then conceiving of the images, symbols, patterns, colors, media and themes that will powerfully reveal this destination. In addition to the murals I design myself, I also lead workshops and collaborate with students or local groups to create community murals.
     
  • Residencies

    Residencies

    This residency will coincide with the remodeling of the lunchroom at the Hasten Hebrew Academy. I have been commissioned to design several large murals for the new space; one for each of the seven species — fruits and grains that symbolize the close relationship between the Jewish People and the Land of Israel. Students will paint the murals of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.
     
  • Workshops

    Workshops

    I am often privileged to lead illustration workshops with children. These workshops are designed to provide children with ways to express — through their art — feelings about strong emotional themes often depicted in popular culture or in secular or religious literature. These are issues children encounter from time to time in the course of their own daily lives. Together, a book is read aloud, and some time is spent discussing it with the group. Then, each child illustrates a page of the book. Their drawings work to convey how they feel about the emotions portrayed in the story. The process of committing these feelings to paper or canvas can often become a therapeutic pathway for young people struggling to understand their increasingly complex worlds. These illustrations reveal important insights about how children react to emotional events, providing parents and teachers with more vivid barometers of their children’s emotional well-being.