Jewish Calligraphy

This is a workshop taught by Artist Rainer Adkins.

Adkins is self-taught in Hebrew calligraphy, lettering, and other Jewish artistic traditions. He was raised with a strong sense of Jewish identity in a politically activist artistic household, with connections always being made between heritage, visual and other forms of art, and work for justice. When he was asked to make a ketubah (calligraphed and decorated marriage vows) for a friend’s wedding, he became determined to pursue self-directed intensive study of Hebrew calligraphy, document illumination, and Jewish art history. He has taught since 1980.

In Hebrew, calligraphy is called k’tivah tamah, meaning ‘miraculous writing’. Sofrut (scribal traditions) and illuminations have been integral to Jewish spiritual and cultural expression and the resilience of Jewish communities for centuries; they represent not only the long history of Judaism, but calligraphy and illustrations could also be carried across borders in haste in times of terror. Parallel to the crafting of Torah scrolls and other sacred objects, storytelling reflects the enormous role of Hebrew letters in Jewish life: in stories, they exist before Creation.