Established 1998 Founded 1998 | Type Art museum | |
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Location Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Website www.jccpgh.org/page/ajm Similar 33rd Street Railroad Bridge, Schenley Park Casino, 30th Street Bridge, Senator Robert D Fleming, King Estate | ||
The American Jewish Museum, or AJM, is a contemporary Jewish art museum located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A department of the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Pittsburgh, the museum is located in the Squirrel Hill JCC at the corner Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue, in the heart of Pittsburgh's historically Jewish neighborhood. The museum was founded in 1998, and though it does not have a permanent collection, it hosts several original and traveling exhibitions each year. The AJM aims to explore contemporary Jewish issues through art and related programs that facilitate intercultural dialogue.
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History
Prior to 1998, the JCC of Greater Pittsburgh had a small community gallery for nearly 25 years. Under the auspices of Leslie A. Golomb, the gallery underwent a period of substantial growth, evolving into a museum and receiving accreditation from the Council of American Jewish Museums (CAJM). Accreditation by CAJM requires strict adherence to standards regarding archives, catalogues, and curating, as well as educational programs and outreach.
Today, the AJM galleries are still located on the Pittsburgh JCC's Squirrel Hill campus. While the AJM continues to emphasize the Pittsburgh community in its exhibitions and programming, its scope has grown as it collaborates with regional, national, and international artists and organizations. Additionally, the AJM frequently explores Jewish themes such as contemporary iterations of rituals, but aims to reach the wider community though exhibits with broad appeal and programming that encourages interfaith discourse.
Recent Exhibitions
As a non-collecting museum, the AJM works with local, national, and international artists to create original exhibitions, and occasionally hosts traveling exhibitions from institutions such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Here is a list of recent, notable exhibitions: