Rimonim Love

Leslie Nobler

About Leslie Nobler

I am a mixed-media artist creating fine art print-collages, digital/traditional artist’s books, re-imagined modern Judaica and surface design. I also write articles on art, technology and social justice. My fine artworks depicts marginalized people/cultures, reinventing their folk art or artifacts using multi-tier technology combined with laborious by-hand methods. My design for ritual objects is based on my background in surface and textile design. I have exhibited widely; for example at New Jersey State and Montclair Art Museum (NJ), Old-Main Art Museum (AZ), Visual Arts NYC and Islip Art Museum (NY), Athenaeum Museum (PA), Kemper Museum of Art (MO). Worldwide, my work was work included in Afrigraphics Pretoria, Intermatopnal Symposia on Digital Art-Bangkok & London, Digital Art Awards/Australia, and Seoul Trade Center Bojagi Gallery. My work is in artists’ book collections of universities and museums and has been featured in the New York Times, New Jersey Star-Ledger, Surface Design Journal, Leonardo, Textiles: The Art of Mankind, the Review/Midwest. Most recently, my immigrant-portraiure project was featured in New Jersey Jewish News and WomensWork.art. I am an Art Professor at William Paterson University. I hod these degrees: BFA/University of Michigan, School of Art; MA/NYIT; MFA/Hunter-CUNY.

About Rimonim Love

This challah cover is for Shabbat and potentially, Rosh Hashanah. Its cotton fabric featuring my original design on the front features rimonim and torah breastplates. Reflecting on sustainability worldwide, I also used Asian-inspired fabric, appliqued African heart-motifs, vintage lace and former Russian-empire, specifically Lithuanian, traditional symbols of grain. This symbol repeats in the coordinating bread-tray, referencing my own, and a preponderance of Jews, Eastern European ancestors’ reverence for grain/bread [and nourishing food in general]. However, at the same time, the use of Asian and African elements is important in conveying the inclusiveness I feel is so critical to my sense of Judaism. The challah cover is subtly ornamented with shiny beads and bits in blue and gold, to add some nice reflection potential for the ceremonial lit candles of either Shabbat or an annual holiday.Further, a gratefulness for the earth’s gifts is also intrinsic to Jewish beliefs – appreciating the fruits of the land, and in so doing, respecting the planet both by sharing or giving what it provides, and by consciously avoiding waste. In addition to “celebrating” Judaica’s beauty, acknowledging our farmlands’ value, and conveying diversity, I use biodegradable and recyclable materials for this piece. This challah cover and tray function as a reusable bread-bag and platter, substituting for environmentally-destructive plastic – giving the land “a break” from pollution … “shmita” in a sense.

Any number of these can be made for distribution, as both sides of the cover/container are digitally printed.  The sewing is simple and typically quick.  The beading is more labor-intensive. The coated heavy-weight cardstock paper tray is also digitally printed and not too difficult to cut and form.  The only limitation is (my) time, so if there is funding to get studio help, I can see possibly crafting 50 – 100.  And if the party getting a challah cover is paying for it, (which I haven’t been able to ascertain on the website) it’s possible to make even more.