Textile artist Bonnie Meltzer, Composer Jennifer Wright
April 7 – June 30, 2024
Over several weeks in spring 2022, as lilacs bloomed in Portland, a mosque, a Black-owned restaurant and two synagogues were vandalized. Around that time a family’s home, which also was a Jewish organization’s mailing address, was destroyed by arson in the middle of the night.
We are not naming the family for their protection.
In their home stood a cherished grand piano, passed down through three generations. The family could not bear to see the piano tossed into a dumpster along with most of their belongings. Instead, bolstered by community, they resolved to face destruction, waste, and hate with creativity, art, and love.
The Burned Piano Project: Creating Music Amidst the Noise of Hate began with one family’s experience of antisemitism and reminds us of the larger context of rising hate crimes in Portland and the United States today. This exhibition celebrates how community can promote healing, build empathy, and grow understanding.
Textile and found-object sculptor Bonnie Meltzer created Because They Were Jewish, a tapestry with piano strings. She also transformed the wooden key cover and more piano strings into Threads of Connection, a sculpture with an interactive component. Composer and performance artist Jennifer Wright transformed elements of the ruined Steinway into a fantastical new instrument, The Glass Piano. Wright will perform multiple concerts of the original music she has composed for this one-of-a-kind creation in the gallery over the course of the exhibition. Wright’s second work in the exhibit, As Many As There Are Seeds in a Pomegranate, creates a ritual space around the piano’s massive cast iron harp. Almost every part of the burned piano was incorporated into the artworks on exhibit, including two works, Lifecycle and Pushing the Pedal, contributed by family members.
OJMCHE is grateful for exhibition support from the Oregon Arts Commission, Regional Arts and Culture Council, and the Zera Foundation.
Build Bridges, Prevent Fascism Resource Guide
Exhibition Related Events
Combating Hate Crimes in Oregon: A Conversation with Randall Blazak and Fay Stetz-Waters
Join us for a conversation between Fay Stetz-Waters, Director of Civil Rights and Social Justice for the Oregon Department of Justice, and Randall Blazak, chair of the Oregon Coalition Against Hate Crimes. The two will discuss the history and current state of hate crimes in Oregon and what we can do to combat them. This event will be recorded.
May 2 | 6pm | Location: Zoom | RSVP
Drop-In Artist Hours with Bonnie Meltzer
Visit the The Burned Piano Project: Creating Music Amidst the Noise of Hate exhibition and meet one of the artists, Bonnie Meltzer. She’ll be available to answer questions and facilitate participation with her interactive sculpture.
May 5 | 1 – 2pm | Location: OJMCHE
May 19 | 1 – 2pm | Location: OJMCHE
May 29 | 1 – 2pm | Location: OJMCHE
June 16 | 1 – 2pm | Location: OJMCHE
June 30 | 1 – 2pm | Location: OJMCHE
The Burned Piano Project Public Concert with Jennifer Wright
Join composer, pianist, and artist Jennifer Wright for a public concert of original music composed for The Burned Piano Project: Creating Music Amidst the Noise of Hate. She will perform her compositions on The Glass Piano, the one-of-a-kind musical art instrument that she created from the remnants of an arson fire-damaged piano. Between the musical pieces in this lecture recital, Jennifer will speak about the fascinating and heartfelt story behind the artwork and music and take audience questions during and after the performance. RSVP recommended but not required.
May 5 | 2 – 3pm | Location: OJMCHE | RSVP
May 19 | 2 – 3pm | Location: OJMCHE | RSVP
May 29 | 2 – 3pm | Location: OJMCHE | RSVP
June 16 | 2 – 3pm | Location: OJMCHE | RSVP
June 30 | 2 – 3pm | Location: OJMCHE | RSVP
Common Thread: A Collaborative Crochet Workshop with Bonnie Meltzer
Build a collaborative sculpture with artist Bonnie Meltzer. Participants will crochet around a common thread that travels from person to person connecting the art and the artists. Participants need to know how to crochet a second row in any stitch. RSVP is required for this event.
June 2 | 12pm – 3pm | Location: OJMCHE | RSVP