Al Rosenbaum
Encyclopedia
Al Rosenbaum was an American artist and the co-founder of the Virginia Holocaust Museum
in Richmond, Virginia
.
with Jay Ipson and Mark Fetter in 1997. It was originally housed in several rooms at the Temple Beth El on Roseneath Road in Richmond between 1997 and 2003. A new, larger location within a renovated warehouse
was dedicated in April 2003.
Rosenbaum created the sculpture of a menorah with six candles that currently stands at the museum. Each of the six candles is intended to represent one million Jews who died during the Holocaust. Rosembaum's menorah sculpture also appears in the Virginia Holocaust Museum's official logo
.
led him to enroll in courses at Virginia Commonwealth University
specifically for glass blowing and casting
.
One of his first major sculptures, a 6-foot-tall piece which he called Shoah
, was constructed of wrought iron
meant to remind the viewer of concentration camp gates, glass intended to recall Kristallnacht
, a rotating "searchlight
," rocks and wood. Rosembaum's Shoah is now on permanent display at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. In an interview, Rosembaum said that he had seen a wide range of reactions to this specific sculpture, "from the little ones trying to climb inside to the tears of the elderly."
Rosembaum produced his first one man art show at the Valentine Museum in 1997. His work had received awards from art shows as far from Virginia as Pennsylvania
and Michigan
.
Virginia Holocaust Museum
The Virginia Holocaust Museum is a Virginia museum dedicated to depicting the Holocaust as experienced by its victims. A main part of the exhibition is about the family story of Holocaust survivor Jay M. Ipson.-History:...
in Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
.
Personal life
Rosenbaum was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1926. He and his wife, Sylvia Rosenbaum, moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1960. He earned his living from the janitorial business before his retirement in 1989.Virginia Holocaust Museum
Rosenbaum co-founded the Virginia Holocaust MuseumVirginia Holocaust Museum
The Virginia Holocaust Museum is a Virginia museum dedicated to depicting the Holocaust as experienced by its victims. A main part of the exhibition is about the family story of Holocaust survivor Jay M. Ipson.-History:...
with Jay Ipson and Mark Fetter in 1997. It was originally housed in several rooms at the Temple Beth El on Roseneath Road in Richmond between 1997 and 2003. A new, larger location within a renovated warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
was dedicated in April 2003.
Rosenbaum created the sculpture of a menorah with six candles that currently stands at the museum. Each of the six candles is intended to represent one million Jews who died during the Holocaust. Rosembaum's menorah sculpture also appears in the Virginia Holocaust Museum's official logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
.
Artist
Rosembaum's initial interest in art glassArt glass
Definitions of art glass can be as complex and contentious as definitions of what constitutes "art" and will inevitably include many refinements and exceptions...
led him to enroll in courses at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
specifically for glass blowing and casting
Casting
In metalworking, casting involves pouring liquid metal into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowing it to cool and solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process...
.
One of his first major sculptures, a 6-foot-tall piece which he called Shoah
Shoah
Shoah may refer to:*The Holocaust*Shoah , documentary directed by Claude Lanzmann * A Shoah Foundation...
, was constructed of wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
meant to remind the viewer of concentration camp gates, glass intended to recall Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht
Kristallnacht, also referred to as the Night of Broken Glass, and also Reichskristallnacht, Pogromnacht, and Novemberpogrome, was a pogrom or series of attacks against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and parts of Austria on 9–10 November 1938.Jewish homes were ransacked, as were shops, towns and...
, a rotating "searchlight
Searchlight
A searchlight is an apparatus that combines a bright light source with some form of curved reflector or other optics to project a powerful beam of light of approximately parallel rays in a particular direction, usually constructed so that it can be swiveled about.-Military use:The Royal Navy used...
," rocks and wood. Rosembaum's Shoah is now on permanent display at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. In an interview, Rosembaum said that he had seen a wide range of reactions to this specific sculpture, "from the little ones trying to climb inside to the tears of the elderly."
Rosembaum produced his first one man art show at the Valentine Museum in 1997. His work had received awards from art shows as far from Virginia as Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
and Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.