WE PROMISE — AND OTHER OATHS
These days ketubot, or marriage contracts, are created with as much originality and variation as the wedding ceremony itself — from traditional to not and back again. Integrating artwork, calligraphy and even pictures of the bride and groom beneath the chupah, the marriage documents in “Love as Activism: Beyond Egalitarianism in the Contemporary Ketubah” present a survey of contemporary ketubot, emphasizing the commitment of one individual to another — and vice versa — and including several partnership commitment documents.
Each one of the ketubot in the exhibit is accompanied by its story, told by the couple in question. Lawrence Lurvey, for example, said of his own ketubah (pictured here) — created by Nishima Kaplan and written in both Hebrew and English — “If we work out as well as our ketubah did, we have many happy years in store together.” The text of the Ruth Buell and Stanley Schwartz’s ketubah concludes: “Together they promise to build a home filled with art, music, literature, learning and love.” Separating the top half’s English from the bottom’s Hebrew is a yellow butterfly.
A Shenere Velt Gallery, Workmen’s Circle/Arbeter Ring, 1525 S. Robertson Boulevard, Los Angeles; through June 27, please call for times; free. (310-552-2007)
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