“With thoughtfulness. And, when relevant, with joy.” — Nancy Katz (on how she hopes viewers respond to her work)

Nancy Katz is a textile artist whose creations hang in museums in Israel, Oakland, and Berkeley. She is famous for her breathtaking chuppot, Ark curtains, and torah covers, and she is a world-renowned maker of tallitot. Visit Tikkun Daily’s art gallery to see some of these beautiful pieces of art.

Tallitot are prayer shawls, traditionally worn on the shoulders or over the head, adorned with 613 knots, a reminder of the 613 commandments making up the code of Jewish law.

“I am aware that several of my tallitot are worn by non-Jews who are drawn to them for reasons they are unable to articulate,” says Katz.”People wear tallitot in settings where nurturing a personal relationship with the Divine is the intention.”

Tallitot may also be seen as a vehicle for personal expression. Not in the shallow sense of fashion, but in a sense of adorning oneself with one’s spirit. Here’s how the artist describes her work:

I make art from my kishkes, from my soul; and I work with others in an attempt to translate their thoughts/feelings/desires into a physical form.

For the most part, my work is about bringing color and light into the world. As an educator, my goal is to empower others to take risks and to embrace their own creativity. I see those intentions as a way to increase joy.

Much of my work over the years has been designed to assist in the transformation of grief — my own as well as that of others.

In the late ’80s, before I claimed artmaking as my full time profession, I worked for/with NAMES Project: The AIDS Memorial Quilt. That work helped me to claim my own identity as an artist. I have made at least two tallitot with the intention that they be used as burial shrouds (both for children). I have reworked clothing (the garment of a dead sibling) to create a new object (a tallit for a bat mitzvah). I have facilitated the creation of a wall hanging with summer camp staff to help them process the drowning of a camper.

My artwork is primarily about celebrating and affirming life. All I can do is attempt to bring people closer to themselves and hope that, in turn that brings us all closer to each other.

To see more of Nancy Katz textile creations, visit the Tikkun Art Gallery, or visit her website here.