CONTEMPORARY JEWISH MUSEUM

Open...Open At Last!

by Marlowe Rafelle

    This is a very exciting moment because what we’re doing is turning a dream into a reality. It’s the result of a lot of individual effort. Hillary said it takes a village, and in a project like this, it not only takes a community — it takes a dedicated board as well!” This is Roselyne C. (Cissie) Swig, chair of the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM), waxing warm with a smile about its upcoming opening in early June, the latest jewel in the crown of the Yerba Buena cultural neighborhood.

   The 63,000 square-foot Museum, located at 736 Mission Street is a gracious and imaginative adaptation of Willis Polk’s original 1907 post-earthquake PG&E substation by architect Daniel Libeskind, most recently renowned for his design of the master plan for the new NYC World Trade Center. Libeskind respected the building’s architectural features, including its southern brick façade and skylights, while adding bold, contemporary exhibit and performance spaces, with the new structure synergistically combining with the old with an abstract roof design that references the Hebrew phrase, “l’chaim” — to life.

Contemporary Jewish Museum, exterior view, with “cube” at corner

   Kicking the building into the 21st century is a vibrant blue, steel-clad cuboid extension that’s perched seemingly precariously on its side and intrudes humorously and charmingly into the space toward its nearest neighbor, St. Patrick’s Church — sort of an ecumenical shout out. The “cube” will invite people into the Museum, where there will be exhibits, installations, music, educational activities, and the other visual, performing and media arts, for a vibrant venue to engage an eclectic audience in all aspects of Jewish culture.

   Cissie Swig became chair of this exciting project five years ago, “to move it forward and help actualize it. The volunteer efforts were there.… Yes, some gave more funds than others, however, over all, it was everyone coming together along with  a board and staff that was focused and determined  to make certain the project developed and was successful.”

   Even though reluctant to single out individuals, she provides an example of the synchronous support that came through on the board. “We were fortunate to have members with expertise in particular areas, as well as the time, commitment and resources. Each one bolstered our confidence and trust — in our programs, finance and operations, our capitol  campaign for the new museum, and our marketing and communications.

   As a prime example, Joe Seiger, founder and president of Vintage Properties, joined the board and offered expertise in real estate development. We asked if he’d also be our point person, between the board, the Liebeskind firm, in New York, and the on-site San Francisco architects, and the construction company — a very important position when you go into capital improvements for a new building, where you benefit from one voice reporting back to the board instead of multi-voices. Joe became the liaison between the board and those critical constituencies, and what has resulted is that the project is coming in on time and on budget!”

   Cissie also spoke of how the head of the finance committee, Matt Berler, and committee member Alan Stein, and how having the caliber and level of competency these and other committee heads and board members represented gave her “great confidence and comfort.

   “Trust is at the head of it all, and was the highest priority for me when I took the role of the chair of the board in 2003. I had two missions. One was to reconstitute the board: to empower and reinvigorate it; to strengthen its commitment and maintain a strong focus on our “raison d’etre” and to be confident that we were all on the same page, committed to the values and mission of the Museum and the building project.

   “We accepted the substation when it was offered by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. The Board and I feel so fortunate to have this building in this prime location in the heart of the city and so close to the Moscone Convention Center as well as in a neighborhood with other cultural institutions.  Not only does it allow us to serve the San Francisco Bay Area community, in addition, we’ll provide cultural enrichment for the millions who visit the city every year. The Museum of Craft and Folk Art, fronting on Yerba Buena Lane, the pedestrian walkway, and are most immediate cultural neighbor is thrilled  that we will are finally going to be opened and we look forward to opportunities for collaboration and cooperation.

   “The Museum will provide access to culture, history, art and ideas — intellectual and educational programs, dialog, and a friendly and welcoming environment. One way or another, the Museum, with its bold design, will become an icon in the city that people will want to see and visit.”

   Cissie’s second mission was to actualize her own commitment, noting the need to do so “when you see something of value and know you can make a difference. I’ve been involved in the Museum since it opened in 1984.” Her late husband, Richard Swig, former chairman of the Swig family-owned Fairmont Hotel, took part as well, serving as chairman of the Museum in the early ’90s, when it was housed in the Jewish Community Federation building at 121 Steuart Street in San Francisco.

   “We appreciated and enjoyed knowing that arts and culture were valued as integral to the quality of life and to the many services provided through the Federation. We championed the Museum as another access point for people from all walks of life, all ages and all spiritual beliefs, and the arts as part of people’s lives and souls, as part of their whole being,” Cissie says with an embracing smile, “rather than just an add-on.”

Day One, 2008, multimedia installation rendering by Matthew Ritchie, commissioned for In the Beginning: Artists Respond to Genesis

   One of the two opening exhibits features the art of renowned cartoonist/satirist William Steig, titled From the New Yorker to Shrek. “It was a real surprise to learn that he was the creator of Shrek?,” says Cissie. “The show which was organized by the Jewish Museum in New York was given high marks in a recent review by the New York Times.”

   The Museum’s programs and exhibitions emphasis a contemporary Jewish cultural perspective. For example, Cissie elaborates, “There was a Chagall show at the SFMOMA several years ago. If the CJM had had a concurrent exhibit, it could have been organized from a Jewish perspective looking at the values and cultural references in the art rather than a general viewpoint.”

   The Museum’s other opening show, in its 7000-square-foot main gallery, is appropriately titled In the Beginning: Artists respond to Genesis, with interpretations by seven contemporary artists as well as more historic pieces, by Jewish and non-Jewish artists, going back to the 17th C. Italian artist, Tiepolo.

   Driving its cultural and arts programs are the Museum’s director, Connie Wolf, and Fred Wasserman, deputy director for programs. “Connie and Fred are brilliant and talented museum professionals and bring their individual creative talents to the decision-making surrounding all the exhibits and programs.

   Harkening back to her acknowledgment of group effort, Cissie’s says “We’ve very much appreciated the encouragement, acknowledgment and support from the broader community, and the confidence that foundations, corporations and individual donors have shown in us. It’s all wonderful. “People say to me: ‘I’m so excited for you…. I saw the outside…I can hardly wait! It’s been a long time coming — and now it’s really happening!’

   “This exuberance is real — it moves you along — that’s so San Francisco!”

   San Francisco’s Contemporary Jewish Museum opens Sunday, June 8. As well as the opening art exhibits, highly acclaimed musician John Zorn will curate and commission sound pieces based on letters of the Hebrew alphabet for the soaring, 65-foot high Special Events Gallery. For more info: 415-655-7800 or thecjm.org.

     Marlowe Rafelle is the assistant editor at the Nob Hill Gazette.

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