There may be no more beautiful, evocative, and visual text in the Hebrew bible than Psalms.The 10th grade class at West End Synagogue studied Psalms through the lens of art with a papercutting workshop.
In the first part of the exercise, students read a selection of psalms, songs of longing, praise, and worship. The teacher sets the context by explaining where psalms are found in Jewish liturgy. Students then pick a favorite and identify a line or short phrase to focus on.
Templates for various paper cut art designs are provided, or students may choose to create their own. The finished paper cuts are assembled with colored backgrounds and the snippet from the selected psalms. Framed, the students' creations become a personal piece of liturgical art to keep for a lifetime.
If you'd like to add Jewish paper cut art to the curriculum at your synagogue's religious school or at your Jewish day school, contact us. We love working with Jewish educators to create meaning art programs that fit with the overall curriculum objectives of the class.
Please note that all designs are copyrighted by Hebrica Judaic Art and may be used only by permission for non-commercial educational purposes.
Kim Phillips is a Jewish artist in Nashville, working in the Jewish papercutting tradition.