Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies

JOTA Artist-Scholar Residency Fellowship 2025-26

Original image Mirta Kupferminc. Written Landscape. 2016..
Original image Mirta Kupferminc. Written Landscape. 2016.

Photo Credit: Thy Nguyen

The Spine: Identity in Tumultuous Times/La Médula: Identidad en Tiempos Tumultuosos

Artistic Director: Mirta Kupferminc, Artist and Art Professor
Academic Director: Dalia Wassner, PhD, Director Jews of the Americas
Curator: Francine Birbragher-Rozencwaig, PhD

JOTA's Artist-Scholar Fellowship includes a fall 2025 in-person Residency workshop at Brandeis University. The Residency is followed by a six-month period of monthly online meetings. The Fellowship will include an art exhibition in Spring 2026; the publication of a book, including images of the artwork or recordings and editorial essays by the scholars; and publication  in an academic journal of the field.

The theme of this year's fellowship is Spine/Médula, with its dual significance as the encasement of the anatomical spinal cord and that which unites the pages of a book. Knowledge, and specifically books, have been at the center of the Jewish experience and embody the migration of peoples and their communal stories. In these tumultuous times, where meaning and identity seem constantly in question, our scholars and artists will address themes of identity, memory, and belonging through their unique professional lens. This topic encompasses, among others, the concepts of humanity, personal identity, transnationality, and bodies of knowledge.

By inviting scholars and artists of different disciplines to convene on this theme, JOTA intends to stimulate the dialogue and production of original works of scholarship and art that explicitly reflect on that which can be gained by a multi-disciplinary approach to an experiential workshop, whereby the academy and the art world engage in meaningful and collaborative new production.

Now, more than ever, it is critical to explore these themes about Jewish identity and peoplehood, and lead academic and artistic communities in a creative and constructive dialogue.

Brandeis Initiative of the Jews of the Americas (JOTA)

The mission of the Brandeis Initiative on the Jews of the Americas (JOTA) is to understand, preserve, and elevate Latin American Jewish history and culture and to contribute to the rich mosaic of Jewish life and broader society throughout the Americas and around the world.

 At JOTA, we believe that Latin American Jews form an integral part of the Jews of the Americas and of the global Jewish diaspora and offer an essential perspective for migration and diaspora studies.

Meet the 2025-26 Artist-Scholar Cohort

Meet the Selection Committee