What Was Our Vision

Reception Fri., July 17, 7-8 p.m., free, through Aug. 16, Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, 615 N. Broad St., 215-627-6747, rodephshalom.org.

by Carolyn Huckabay

visual art

Zoë Cohen is a conversation-starter. Last year she asked Philadelphians to put their emotions down on paper for "Show Someone How You Feel About Something"; in January she curated "Ephemerality," 24-hour installations in the woods of the Schuylkill Center meant to point out the impermanence of nature. Though her latest work, a series of tableaux titled "What Was Our Vision: 16 Scenes from Wandering in the Desert," was created in a studio, it's no less interactive. Using everything from graphite to black cherry juice to bring primal symbols like sacred mountains and seraphim to life, Cohen explores the mythic nature of her Jewish ancestors' travels through Mesopotamia. Through improvisation, Cohen re-creates what ancient Israelites might have seen along their journey. "The tree in the center [of Vision 11, pictured, detail] is based on an image of a Tree of Life," she says. "This version ended up also looking like a rib cage, somewhat unintentionally — but I liked the resulting starkness of the image."

Reception Fri., July 17, 7-8 p.m., free, through Aug. 16, Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art, 615 N. Broad St., 215-627-6747, rodephshalom.org.