Alisa Rodney
Mixed Media Artist and Visual Arts Teacher in Boston
A) What qualities make the nominee deserving of the Z3 Bridge Builder Award?
Alisa Rodny is a mixed media artist and a visual arts teacher in Boston Public Schools. She prides herself on the fact that her students don't know her politics. Her classroom is a space for students to reflect on and explore their own beliefs--not a space to be indoctrinated by hers. As a child of immigration, the act of traversing physical and mental spaces is built into the basic processing of her life. Alisa re-imagines those spaces through art and in community, as an act of healing. She brings together culturally diverse groups, where people feel seen and are encouraged to participate authentically.
In response to the horrific events of October 7th, 2023 Alisa Rodney co-created the sale of more than 60 local and Israeli artists' work through an event hosted on January 28, 2024. Called Yachad/Together, the event was a gallery show of solidarity and an educational fundraiser. Yachad/Together's stated goal was to bring together Jewish and non-Jewish artists to engage in conversation about the role of artists in society after October 7th. The event raised funds donated through the local federation's Israel emergency fund. Ms. Rodny co-convened the community for a packed evening of lively discussion over art and live music. Next, Alisa led a group of 7 artists in co-creating the Achdut Postcard Project, with Jewish American artists creating "Brotherhood" themed postcards, to foster unity and dialogue, post-October 7th. Designed to be filled out with personal messages in grassroots-style "coffee klatches" in people's homes, the post cards became the medium to host discussions between Jews in the community, bridging divides between participants in an intimate setting who wouldn't otherwise have spaces for such discussions. The Achdut post cards are provided at cost to anyone interested--paying only a 3rd party printer for printing them and offering guidelines for how to host a session. The artists who contributed their artwork earn no royalties and were not paid for producing their work--their creations were their gift to Am Yisrael (the Jewish People).
Alisa and the Jewish non-profit, Returning the Sparks, are currently discussing partnering together in the Spring with a local synagogue (though the program will be open to the wider Jewish community) to offer an artistic process for self-identifying Jewish adults to reflect on their connection with a Jewish subject. Everyone will share the same Jewish images provided and the artistic process Ms. Rodny leads will produce very different artistic creations for each participant. Part of her process involves facilitated community discussion on how and why individuals made the symbolic choices they did, sharing insights from their personal Jewish experiences with one another and creating community connections in the process. This program's focus is the process: the community and relationship-building and the opportunity for Jewish identity exploration.
While the list of efforts from the past year seems like the work of a full-time Jewish non-profit Executive Director, Alisa has done everything to date as an unpaid volunteer.
B) In what ways has the nominee demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to their work in bridging divides?
I met Ms. Rodny only this January, through a luncheon that Returning the Sparks co-hosted with the Consulate General of Israel to New England, for Israel educators and artists. Alisa spoke with the other artists present and subsequently convened in-person coffee meetings and Zoom conversations to discuss next steps. Her volunteer organizational efforts ultimately led to the convened artist group's selection of the Achdut Postcard Project initiative. Alisa then organized the 7 politically and culturally diverse female artists who collaborated through Achdut over multiple Zoom sessions. Despite being a busy working mom, she often offered two separate meeting options with a single agenda, to ensure that everyone would be able to contribute to the discussion.
In addition to her leadership and volunteer efforts in Boston, Alisa's efforts have gone on to inspire other Jews' leadership efforts. Two of the artists participating in Achdut, based in New York City, subsequently launched their own art fundraiser on May 16th, which they also called "Together," based on the success of the original Yachad/Together fundraiser. Alisa shared best practices with "Stars in the Arts", and later drove to NYC to help volunteer at their show, contributing a personal artwork to the show additionally.
Ms. Rodny's efforts resulted in the creation of a What'sApp group for the groups of artists convened for these initiatives, where opportunities to attend local Jewish community events are frequently shared. She and the other artists are regular participants.
Ms. Rodny is an inspiration, showing how much one individual can achieve when highly motivated to build community and spark engagement between diverse Jewish communities.