Art for Good: The Gary Rosenthal Collection

Did you see the Beltway Beat last month?  If you're not around Baltimore, probably not - but if you did, you probably saw a great little article about Gary!  If you missed it, check it out below:

Art for Good: The Gary Rosenthal Collection
By Vanessa Mallory Kotz

Gary Rosenthal’s colorful menorahs, mezuzahs and Kiddush cups can be found on the desks of former presidents, in the homes of famous actors and in the palaces of kings. These carefully wrought copper, brass, steel and brilliant fused glass objects are given as gifts to friends and family and custom made for synagogues and community centers around the world.

A native of the D.C. area, Rosenthal started out as a sculptor and “a bit of a pyromaniac,” which naturally lead to his life’s work as a glass maker. Over time, he developed a successful business founded on the principles of social responsibility and community-building. His work “doesn’t just hang over a sofa,” he says. It’s “holding a prayer.” 

His art-making is inspired by the concept of the Hiddur mithzvah, which means to beautify a good deed or blessing. By creating fine objects to be used in Jewish rituals, Rosenthal and his staff hope to make holidays, getting married and moving into a new home even more special.

Rosenthal has been a force in the Washington area community since the 1970s, participating in community projects that have raised funds for breast cancer and autism awareness and other charities. His internship program has tutored hundreds of local high school and community college students in the skills of welding, creative expression and confidence. Most of these students have gone on to college and successful careers.


Read the rest of article here.

Keeping the Faith: Montgomery Magazine

Local fans, have you picked up the September/October issue of Montgomery Magazine yet?  If you did, you'll find this fantastic article about Gary and the Collection!

Keeping the Faith: The Gary Rosenthal Collection

By Pamela Schipper | Photography by Hilary Schwab
Gary Rosenthal has been the leader in contemporary Judaic art for more than 35 years. But he says that “The Gary Rosenthal Collection” applies more to his people than his art. “We work as a team here,” he explains, to create his handmade mixed media pieces. “It takes a community. ‘The Gary Rosenthal Collection’ is not about my work. It’s about my people.”
Today, Gary employs about a dozen artists and artisans, administrators and shipping professionals at his large, limited production workshop in Kensington. When he comes up with a new idea for a traditional item like a Seder plate, mezuzah, menorah or even wedding keepsake, he describes it in words to his team. Then they work the idea together to create a new yet functional take on a spiritual mainstay.
“I have lots of people who are expert at what they do,” Gary says. “So the people here who do glass, they do glass better than I would do it; the people who do metal, do metal better than I would. You know, I started off and I trained everybody, but then they specialized. By pushing them to do things that I think of—I’ll have an idea and say, ‘Can you do this?’—they do it and they get good at it.”
His pieces are known for their brilliant fused glass set against copper, brass and steel.
Suzanne Gartner, glass studio manager, and Aselin Lands, glass artist assistant, together mix recipes of recycled glass, frit and confetti into multicolored masterpieces. On some of these glass pieces, artist Sarah Matas delicately silkscreens Hebrew letters in 24-karat gold.
In another area of the studio, the metal components of Gary’s pieces are being prepared. The machine shop manipulates metal into the shapes needed. Bill Bradshaw creates specially designed machines and tools. John Linder, who is autistic, uses his singular focus to cut, bend and fold metal with precision and safety. Pelayo Lopez, hired through CASA De Maryland, works in the welding shop, using a torch to fuse pieces of metal together. Sparks often fly!
In the administrative wing, Webmaster and Marketing Director Hamilton Whitney gets the word out about new creations and popular standbys. Nearby, Tim Welsh, who is also autistic, does beautiful metal weaving.
At the loading dock, Nick Stanford, the shipping manager, works to mail pieces across the United States and internationally—no small job. Every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter has something from The Gary Rosenthal Collection, as do foreign dignitaries and celebrities like Bette Midler, Ben Stein and Henry Winkler.
Gary’s mother, Ann Rosenthal, was surprised at Gary’s talent and interest in art. She gave him piano lessons when he was a child, but says “I would have given him art lessons if I had known.”
Lighting the Fire
Gary fell in love with torch work as a teen when he helped his father with the family’s stove and refrigerator repair business in D.C. His interest in art, though, came later when he was majoring in Industry and Labor Relations at Cornell University.
“I graduated from college in 1976. But I had already been welding and I was selling things in 1974,” Gary explains.
“I was lucky. … I was self-taught but as soon as I got started, people wanted to buy what I made. It was unbelievable.”
Years later, he showed his work to an art professor at Cornell. The professor panned it but then told Gary it would “‘sell like crazy.’”
It has. Gary thinks that being selftaught has made him more tied into his audience. Plus, he puts himself into his work—and he’s a man who really cares.
“My work speaks to people. It always has. It’s from inside of me. It’s the emotion, the spirit,” he says.
“My work isn’t complicated. I don’t have lots of hidden messages in my stuff. I just make things that people like, that people want to buy. And then I’m lucky in that I have an MBA, because it’s the business side of things that’s so important as well.”
Gary’s mother Ann, who volunteers at the studio and accompanies Gary to art shows and his many community-based art projects, agrees. “He has a real business sense that some of these other artists in New York (at the New York International Gift Fair) don’t have. Their stuff is beautiful but it doesn’t sell.”
“We just run a nice business making things that people like,” Gary says. “It happens to be Jewish art.”
But that’s only part of the story.

This story was published in the September/October 2012 issue of Montgomery Magazine.

For the rest of the article, head on over to Montgomery Magazine.

NYIGF Preview

NYIGF Show Preview The show is just a week away and we're busy finishing up some great new pieces to showcase in New York  If you are from one of our stores, we hope to see you there at Booth 9250.  If you're not a retailer, keep an eye out for these great pieces coming soon to a Judaica store near you!  We've got a fantastic new collection of HeartHolder keepsakes, perfect for wedding shards holders, honeymoon mementos, and more.  We're also introducing some really great new oil menorot you're not going to want to miss! You might remember not too long ago we introduced the A48D limited edition menorah dreidel combo.  It became our fastest selling item ever and of the 500 made, fewer than fifty are left.  It's all but guaranteed that these last few will be snatched up by the end of the year so now's your last chance to get your hands on one.  Because of the A48D's popularity, we're introducing a new limited edition combo piece, featured below.  1,000 of these will be made and each will be signed and numbered. Check out a sneak peek at some more great items below!  (click to view full size) Party favors - $18 retail Great new wedding keepsakes Fantastic new style of oil menorah - easy to use!

Baltimore Yeshiva Gala Dinner Awards

Yeshivas Lubavitch of Baltimore celebrated their Seventh Anniversary Gala Banquet on Thursday May 31, 2012.  Check out the awards given out!

These Tzedakah boxes on a base were specially created for this event but I have the feeling that other people are going to like them too!

Click here for more pics from the dinner including more of Gary's awards being given out.

Stained Windows get New Life

This post is a long time coming - I've been meaning to share this great story with you for a while but it always seemed to be on the bottom of my to-do list until now.  A few months ago we were contacted by Agudas Achim in Austin Texas.  Their synagogue was undergoing a huge renovation but unfortunately the demolition included some classic stained glass windows.  As a way to preserve the windows and incorporate them into the new building, the congregation commissioned us to create mezuzot for every doorway in the new building, using the glass from the old windows.  The results were truly unique and special - you can see them below being hung as part of a special mezuzah hanging day!

A Custom Photo Frame Filled with Love

A customer sent us this great photo of a custom frame we made for them in use.

Ross Shalom Chapel

Ross Shalom Chapels is a Jewish funeral home that shares space with a Christian funeral home, operating opposite hours from each other.  During their open hours the place needed to have more of a Jewish touch so the owner commissioned Gary to create an eternal light as well as a Shofar stand for them.  Check out these photos of the fantastic pieces Gary hand delivered to them!

Featured Artist at Gallery Judaica

Are you in the LA area?  One of our stores there, Gallery Judaica, is showcasing Gary as the featured artist on their blog right now.  Stop on in if you want to let them know how much you admire Gary's work!

Gary Rosenthal's artwork will never disappoint and knowing that each piece is individually handmade and unique just makes it all the more special.

New Work for Spring 2012

If you were at the NYIGF this past month you saw some great new pieces Gary had with him.  He left the show with some solid hits and some great ideas for new work - we're always taking your feedback and putting it into new designs!  We're also hard at work developing a line of wedding keepsakes that I think you're all going to really love.  Some of them are online already with the rest of the new work.

The new catalog is at the printer's right now and should be going out by the end of the week.  All of the new work is on our website and if you hop on over to our facebook page you can see an album featuring the new items.

Check out a preview below!

Some Photos of Gary

Remember the Maryland Life article?  Cory Donovan, who took the photographs for the article, has some more photos from the shoot up on his blog.  Check them out to see some great pictures of Gary!

The Jackson Sun: Dreidel: This Toy Stands the Test of Time

The Jackson Sun has a great article about the history of the Dreidel and mentions Gary's work specifically.

David Cohen shares his collection of dreidels in preparation for Hanukkah. / AARON HARDIN/The Jackson Sun

Dreidels, like menorahs, can be considered works of art. Collectors can find dreidels made to look like carousels, ballerinas, musical instruments and other items. Children can get dreidels to match their interests or hobbies.

"I have a Gary Rosenthal dreidel," Cohen said. "Rosenthal is a highly recognized artist who works in metals. I have one of his dreidels. It's not meant to be used, but enjoyed as a work of art."

Mezuzahs, Mitzvahs & Magic (December KOL Temple B'nai Shalom)

Just came across this wonderful writeup about one of Gary's Hiddur Mitzvah Projects.  I don't think we've ever had a negative response to the program, but it's great to see an especially positive reaction like this.  The program really is great and we are glad to be able to offer it to people like these post-confirmation students.

Mon, December 5, 2011

Sometimes a project or a class goes just perfectly, it is everything you hoped and planned it would be, and it feels almost magical.  And so it was at Post-Confirmation on November 20.  Every year we receive a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and over the years we have used it for incredible projects and improvements to our Religious School, including our Jewish movie library, our Confirmation/Post-Confirmation trip to New York, and our curriculum writing project.  As we applied for the grant for this year, I knew I wanted to do a project with Jewish artist Gary Rosenthal, and so we decided to bring him in to speak with our Post-Confirmation students and to work with them to make mezuzot for their dorm rooms as they go off to college.
The class was amazing!  I am often weary of meeting authors or musicians or artists whose work I really enjoy for fear they will not be who I hoped they would be, and then I am not able to enjoy their work as much.  I have always loved Gary Rosenthal’s work and I can tell you he is who I hoped he would be and more!  He is a true mensch!  He spoke to our students about why he chose to be an artist and how he became a Jewish artist.  He told them how he uses his art to enable him to do mitzvot and live his Jewish values.  And he encouraged them to find their passion and use it to leave the world better than they found it.
After speaking to our students, Gary helped them to create a glass mosaic which will be placed into a metal mezuzah casing that he made.  I was so impressed by the effort and care all our students put into their pieces.  They were all as unique and beautiful as the people who made them.  In addition we were able to make a few extra mezuzot to auction off at our next temple fundraiser, and Gary has also agreed to donate a piece for the auction as well!
Sometimes a project or a class goes just perfectly, it is everything you hoped and planned it would be, and it feels almost magical.  And so it was at Post-Confirmation on November 20.  Here’s to many more magical moments!

B’Shalom,
Rabbi Nyer

Magical Menorahs - Maryland Life Magazine Article

Maryland Life Magazine has a wonderful article about Gary and the studio in their most recent issue:

The menorahs in Gary Rosenthal’s Judaica-filled studio are a feast for the eyes. Intricate curls of copper and brass twist like branches around triangles of mosaic glass. The metal sprouts into flowers, leaves, and even a treble clef as it winds its way up the candelabrum. On one piece, two copper snakes wrap their way up the base, forming a caduceus.

These aren't your bubbe’s menorahs.
“When I started 35 years ago, there was just no such thing as contemporary Jewish art,” Rosenthal explains while leading me on a tour of his Kensington studio. “So I told myself, ‘I'll create Jewish art, but also a true piece of art.’”

Today, the effort, which Rosenthal summarizes as “contemporary style rooted in tradition,” has bloomed into a thriving business. Located in the Howard Avenue Antiques District, his studio is a two-floor operation where a dozen or so artisans buzz in a flurry of design, glass cutting, and welding.

Check out the full article for more!

Gary Rosenthal Collection Named CSAAC Employer of the Year

We at the Gary Rosenthal Collection are privileged to have the opportunity to work with CSAAC (Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children).  We currently employ two individuals with autism, Tim and John, who excel at every task they are responsible for here.  Their service is invaluable and they have directly contributed in the manufacturing of our very popular collection of woven Judaica.

We were recently honored to be named Employer of the Year for CSAAC and took the opportunity to get a group photo of the full GRC crew, including Tim and John.  Tim is holding the award plaque and John is on the far right of the photo.

In the photos below, Tim is working on packaging glasses he has dyed that will be part of a Jewish wedding ceremony while John weaves copper strips that will become mezuzot like the one pictured.

 

Stamford Jewish Arts & Film Festival

Those of you in Connecticut may be aware that Gary's work is currently on display at the Stamford JCC as part of the Jewish Arts & Film Festival of Fairfield County.  If you haven't gotten there yet, you still have a few more days as they festival continues through November 13th.

The Jewish Ledger has a wonderful article about Gary and his work, in conjunction with the festival.

Rosenthal may be among the most recognized Judaica artists working today. His tzedakah boxes and menorahs have been presented to Presidents Carter, Clinton, and Bush pater, and to celebrities Bette Midler, John Travolta, Tony Randall, and Itzhak Perlman.
But it is his community involvement and tikkun olam that he hopes to be remembered for. Since 2004, he has focused on turning his business into what he has called “a community-service machine based on art.”
“I’ve always been interested in tikkun olam, since I was in college,” Rosenthal says. “I think of myself as a social activist who happens to be a sculptor. I feel lucky that, as my art developed and I developed a following and started to earn a living from selling my art, it gave me a platform for the social activism.”

Check out the full article here!

The Past Couple Months

I realize it has been a little while since you've heard from us here and I wanted to make sure you didn't think we'd gone away!  Though the past couple months have been busy for us, we haven't necessarily been busy with things other people would find all that interesting.  Mostly we have been busy gearing up production to be ready for the Hanukkah rush which is now upon us!

October was National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we once again had a good number of participants hold Glass Ribbon Projects which is wonderful!  If you haven't heard about our program you should really check it out.  It is a FREE community arts project that benefits those with breast cancer and we have heard from numerous participants that it really is a very meaningful as well as enjoyable experience.  It doesn't have to be October for you to plan an activity - it could make a wonderful Hanukkah program or Mother's Day idea as well!

As I said, and you are probably fully aware, the Hanukkah rush has already started.  With that in mind, we've made available a great selection of one-of-a-kind items and discontinued items at great prices.  Whether you're looking to stock your shelves with unique items, or find a perfect gift for that certain someone, check out our Hanukkah Super Sale - quantities are limited (many are truly one-of-a-kind items) and going fast!

Finally, a bit of sad news.  One of our top notch designers, Ned, has decided to move on and take another job elsewhere.  She brought a lot of great ideas to the team and helped design some of our most popular new items.  If you have seen any of our pieces with embossed copper or puzzle glass (our new best selling A53 has both), you have seen her work.  She will be missed but we are busy finding others who can fill her shoes and add even more great ideas to the team.

As always, don't hesitate to contact us with any questions, comments, or ideas - we're always glad to talk!

Happy to be of Service

 We are regularly asked to create custom commission pieces such as Tzedakah boxes for Synagogues, or Mezuzot for sanctuary doors.  We're always glad to hear back from the recipients of these special items, especially when they are as positive as this:

I just wanted to let you know that I received the box and it is just AMAZING!!!  Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!  We are so happy with the finished product! I am so excited for the kids to see it this Friday when we are going to have them present it to the Temple Brith Achim congregation during the Religious School Welcome Back service!  Your work is absolutely beautiful and we are proud to be giving this gift to the congregation from our confirmation class.  We have a terrific, visible place picked out for it in a niche next to the sanctuary doors.  Thanks for everything and it was a pleasure working with you!!

Do you need any custom artwork?  Check out a few of the things we have done in the past and let us know what we can do for you!

Catalog

Just a quick update - the new catalog is at the printer's but you can view it online before it hits the streets later this month!

New Work NYIGF Summer 2011

We're gearing up for new Fall/Winter catalog and Gary's just finishing up a great show in New York where he's been showing off a slew of new work.  Everything's online now and all the new work is here for your viewing pleasure.  Here are a just a few photos to give you a taste:

Travel Sabbath Candlesticks - A Web Exclusive!

Soon to be featured in the upcoming issues of B'nai B'rith and Hadassah Magazines, we're giving our online friends the first look at this web exclusive item.  Let us know what you think, and click here if you want to purchase!