Spreading the message of hope and resilience throughout our community
September 2, 2020 [St. Petersburg, FL] — The Florida Holocaust Museum (The FHM) is pleased to announce the opening of a new outdoor exhibition Beautiful Questions: The Art of Samuel Bak, on display now on the exterior of the Museum! This outdoor exhibit is spreading the message of hope and resilience throughout our community.
“Everyone in the world is struggling to come to terms with the feelings of unsafety and powerlessness we’ve experienced during this pandemic. One of the many important lessons that Holocaust Survivors have taught us is that human beings have the inner strength to move through traumatic events, that we have the ability to turn despair into hope. This exhibition gives our community a safe outdoor environment to experience the beauty of Samuel Bak’s art while exploring many of the same questions that helped him, as a Holocaust Survivor, make sense of his experiences, and create resiliency and hope for himself,” said Elizabeth Gelman, Executive Director of The Florida Holocaust Museum.
This innovative display features artist Samuel Bak, a Holocaust Survivor who creates beautifully detailed and highly colorized work that pose unanswerable questions about the horrors he survived. While his art is part testimony of experience, his painting also explores the Holocaust, society and the systems that allow atrocities and injustice to happen. Bak feels that the creation of art “could be seen as a sign of resilience.”
“As our Museum doors have remained shut, we have continued to engage our community here in Tampa Bay and throughout the state through technology with a variety of virtual tours, programs and activities. However, not everyone has regular access to technology. In addition, studies have shown that the in-person experience of interacting with art is a powerful one and not easily replicated online. We see this exhibition as a small gift to our community, allowing everyone to experience art, free of charge, and be able to reflect on the questions we are all grappling with today,” said Gelman.
Please stay engaged with The FHM online through the Museum’s virtual tour, virtual resources, online curriculum, collections, Holocaust Survivor testimonies, and on its social media pages Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
The Florida Holocaust Museum looks forward to announcing the reopening of the Museum. Please continue to visit TheFHM.org for Museum updates.
About The Florida Holocaust MuseumOne of the largest Holocaust museums in the country, and one of three nationally accredited Holocaust museums, The Florida Holocaust Museum honors the memory of millions of men, women and children who suffered or died in the Holocaust. The FHM is dedicated to teaching members of all races and cultures the inherent worth and dignity of human life in order to prevent future genocides. For additional information, please visit www.TheFHM.org