Susan Turner's exhibition of large-scale inkjet prints opens Thursday evening, April 12 at the Jewish Heritage Centre corridor gallery. First mentioned in Exodus in the commandments regarding the fabrics to be used in the construction of the holy tabernacle, ceremonial fabrics now are found in many rituals of Jewish life. "The items I've worked with have personal resonance for me. They may remind me of some experience from the past, or they may elicit visual or even auditory memory. Ceremonial fabrics act as boundaries between what is known and what is mysterious; I'm exploring the edges of those boundaries." Turner's multi-layered, intense images are built by blending photography, scanning, and image manipulation in Photoshop.
Susan Turner has shown her prints, photo-based work, and videos in solo and group shows in Canada and internationally. She has been active in Winnipeg's art community, taught and served as a thesis advisor at the School of Art University of Manitoba, and was a MAWA mentor (Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art). She has curated exhibitions in the art and heritage communities, including two major exhibitions for the JHCWC: Mazel Tov, A Chasene: The Jewish Wedding (2005); and Samuel Freedman: Civic Man, Man of Law (2006). She has received support for her work through Canada Council for the Arts, Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Council, and has had residencies at Banff Centre for the Arts. Her work can be found in public and private collections. Tabernacle was funded by a Special Project grant from the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba.