JAI Featured Member/July 2025
Perla Karney
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JAI Featured Member
Perla Karney
July 2025
JAI Featured Member
Perla Karney
July 2025
Across from the UCLA campus, a thriving art center has been offering up some of the most unique programming in the Jewish art world since 2004. For the past 21 years, Perla Karney has served as the Artistic Director of the Dortort Center for Creativity at Hillel at UCLA, transforming it from a mere idea into a lively artistic and cultural center. During this time she has worked with hundreds of local and…
Perla Karney
Artistic Director, Dortort Center for Creativity in the Arts
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international artists on over 200 unique exhibits, carefully curating each show and program. Perla’s background in theater production lends itself to her ability to take on projects that other Directors may shy away from. The Dortort Center prides itself in its diverse programming which runs the gamut from exhibitions, film screenings, symposia, concerts, lecture series, and staged readings. Working in collaboration with partners like the Consulate General of Israel, Italian Cultural Institute Los Angeles, the UCLA Fowler Museum, Holocaust Museum LA, German Consulate General in Los Angeles, and countless departments at UCLA, Perla has been able to repeatedly produce ambitious projects, always free and open to the community. The exhibits and events organized by Perla have been frequently featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Jewish Journal, the Daily Bruin.
Across from the UCLA campus, a thriving art center has been offering up some of the most unique programming in the Jewish art world since 2004. For the past 21 years, Perla Karney has served as the Artistic Director of the Dortort Center for Creativity at Hillel at UCLA, transforming it from a mere idea into a lively artistic and cultural center. During this time she has worked with hundreds of local and international artists…
Perla Karney
Artistic Director, Dortort Center for Creativity in the Arts
………………….
on over 200 unique exhibits, carefully curating each show and program. Perla’s background in theater production lends itself to her ability to take on projects that other Directors may shy away from. The Dortort Center prides itself in its diverse programming which runs the gamut from exhibitions, film screenings, symposia, concerts, lecture series, and staged readings. Working in collaboration with partners like the Consulate General of Israel, Italian Cultural Institute Los Angeles, the UCLA Fowler Museum, Holocaust Museum LA, German Consulate General in Los Angeles, and countless departments at UCLA, Perla has been able to repeatedly produce ambitious projects, always free and open to the community. The exhibits and events organized by Perla have been frequently featured in the Los Angeles Times, the Jewish Journal, the Daily Bruin.
The Dortort Center offers a wide range of programs and exhibits year-round. A few examples of events that have featured JAI artists over the past three years are…
In March 2022 the Dortort Center presented four different exhibits in its various gallery spaces. The combination of a figurative painting show, an exhibit of timely works inspired by the pandemic, and a show highlighting Jewish diversity are representative of the breadth of work that Perla platforms at the Dortort Center.
In this special exhibit Perla curated works from 26 JAI artist members reflecting on their identity and community. The celebratory reception honored 18 (חַי) years since JAI’s founding.
This special benefit was organized by the Dortort Center in 2022 to raise money to support relief for Ukraine.
(RE)Defining Zionism: Portraits and Perspectives from a Post-October 7 Israel
This traveling exhibition recently on display at UCLA’s Hillel featured emotional portraits and personal stories from over 60 Israelis of varied backgrounds. Created by photographer Shlomit Levy Bard after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, the exhibit aims to break through polarized and simplistic narratives surrounding Zionism — especially on American college campuses where the term has been increasingly weaponized.
Levy Bard traveled across Israel, capturing voices from Haifa to the Gaza border — Jews, Muslims, Druze, and Christians — spanning a wide spectrum of ideologies, religions, and cultures. Her work highlights the nuanced and often conflicting views Israelis hold about Zionism, pushing viewers to confront their assumptions and engage with the complexity behind the rhetoric.
By offering firsthand perspectives and fostering open dialogue, the exhibit challenges the false binary of choosing between Palestinian rights or support for Israel. Instead, it invites reflection on Zionism as a multifaceted and evolving concept tied to identity, history, culture, and human rights.
The Dortort Center has many more exciting exhibits and events slotted for the upcoming season, curated and organized by Perla Karney.
Sunday, July 20, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. – Staged play reading of Incident at Vichy by Arthur Miller, directed by Guillermo Cienfuegos, at the Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles.
Thursday, October 23, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. – Fall 2025 Opening and Reception:
- West Coast premiere of the Jerusalem Biennale exhibition, Wartime Paintings by Sam Griffin shown exclusively at the Dortort Center for Creativity of the Arts at Hillel at UCLA.
- Against All Odds featuring works by Gabriela Karin, local artist and holocaust survivor
- From the Land of Miracles featuring photographs from the Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, Wendy Lamm
Sunday, December 7, 4:00 p.m. – Interfaith Choral Concert in celebration of Chanukah. Thirty women – students and professionals – will sing the world premiere of Yoni Fogelman’s composition, A Festival of Light. The concert will be conducted by Joung-A Monica Yum.
Thursday, January 22, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. – Winter 2026
Spiritual Narratives: The Shabbat & Meditation Projects featuring works by fiber artist, Laurie Wohl. Wohl is an internationally recognized fiber artist known for her distinctive Unweavings, liturgical projects, and interfaith message. Her works are held in collections of the Museum of Arts and Design, American Bible Society, and the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and the Catholic Theological Union. Whol’s works have been exhibited at U.S. embassies in Beirut, Vienna, Tunis, Cape Town, and Pretoria. Ms. Wohl lives and works in New York City and Southwest Wisconsin.
Dortort Center for Creativity at Hillel at UCLA
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About JAI
Jewish Artists Initiative (JAI) is a Southern California organization committed to supporting Jewish artists and arts professionals. JAI aspires to be an agent of transformative change by organizing provocative exhibitions and thoughtful programs promoting diverse dialogue about Jewish identity and experiences. Founded in 2004, JAI remains committed to fostering Jewish culture in our community and beyond.
MISSION AND HISTORY
JAI was conceived by the Jewish Community Foundation of Los Angeles in 2004. It was originally in partnership with the University of Southern California Casden Institute and the USC Roski School of Art and Design. For many years we have been under the fiscal sponsorship of the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity. Members include primarily artists, as well as curators and art historians based in Southern California. The artists go through a jurying process to be admitted as members.
We have collaborated with a great range of Southern California institutions including American Jewish University, Hebrew Union College, UCLA Hillel and USC Hillel as well as a variety of art galleries and public spaces. We have also worked and exhibited in institutions in other parts of the United States and Israel such as the Jewish Art Salon, Hebrew Union College, New York, the New York UJA and the Jerusalem Biennale.
JAI BOARD MEMBERS
Bill Aron, Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik, Anne Hromadka Greenwald, Gilah Yelin Hirsch
Sagi Refael, Doni Silver Simons, Hillel Smith, Ruth Weisberg, Cathy Weiss
How to Become a JAI Member: JAI welcomes applications for membership from artists and arts professionals. For how to apply and to view the selection criteria click on Join JAI in the navigation links at the top or bottom of any page. Questions: contact JAI at admin@jaisocal.org
