Ira Nowinski
Encyclopedia
Ira Nowinksi is an award-winning photographer. Nowinski earned a Master of Fine Art's degree from the San Francisco Art Institute
in 1973. From the late 1970s through the early 1980s, Nowinski served as the official photographer of the San Francisco Opera. His photographs have been collected extensively by the University of California, Berkeley
's Bancroft Library
; Stanford University
Libraries' Department of Special Collections; Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris; the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the National Museum of Photography, Bradford, England.
He has worked on three major photographic projects documenting various aspects of the Jewish experience in the 20th Century: In Fitting Memory: The Art and Politics of Holocaust Memorials; Karaite Jews
in Egypt, Israel, and the San Francisco Bay Area; and Soviet Jews in San Francisco.
His current projects include a photographic exploration of the Galapagos Islands.
He has had major exhibitions of his photography at the Stanford University Libraries' Peterson Gallery in 2004 and the Judah L. Magnes Museum
in 2007.
person in his family born in the United States. At the age of 42, he was prodded by opera singer Regina Resnick to do a photo essay around
the Jewish milieu. He had previously done photo essays of the North Beach, San Francisco, area, of the evacuation of elderly citizens from
hotels in the South of Market area of San Francisco, and of the Southeast Asian Community in the same city. In addition, he had been the
staff photographer of the San Francisco Opera since 1978.
Working first with Resnick and then with Seymour Fromer of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, Rhonda Abrams of the Anti-Defamation League,
Anita Friedman of Jewish Family & Children's Services, and the Northern California Board of Rabbis, Nowinski began documenting the
Jewish experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of his first projects was to document Soviet Jews who had immigrated during the
1970s and 1980s.
He also photographed the Karaite Jewish Community
in Foster City
. The Karaites were a Jewish community that had lived for nearly 500
years in Egypt. The Arab-Israeli war resulted in the expulsion of the Jews from Egypt at the conclusion of that conflict. Many subsequently
immigrated first to Israel and then to Northern California. Nowinski retraced their migration route in reverse, first photographing Karaites in
Foster City, California, then in Israel, and finally in Egypt.
Nowinski and Sybil Milton of the U.S. Holocaust Museum did a joint work on the Holocaust Memorials throughout Europe, Israel, and in the
United States. This work, entitled "In fitting memory : the art and politics of Holocaust memorials" combined text provided by Milton with
Nowinski's photographic essay of the monuments documenting the millions of Jews who lost their lives under the Nazi regime.
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
in 1973. From the late 1970s through the early 1980s, Nowinski served as the official photographer of the San Francisco Opera. His photographs have been collected extensively by the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
's Bancroft Library
Bancroft Library
The Bancroft Library is the primary special collections library of the University of California, Berkeley. It was acquired as a gift/purchase from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, with the proviso that it retain the name Bancroft Library in perpetuity...
; Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
Libraries' Department of Special Collections; Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris; the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the National Museum of Photography, Bradford, England.
He has worked on three major photographic projects documenting various aspects of the Jewish experience in the 20th Century: In Fitting Memory: The Art and Politics of Holocaust Memorials; Karaite Jews
Karaite Judaism
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology...
in Egypt, Israel, and the San Francisco Bay Area; and Soviet Jews in San Francisco.
His current projects include a photographic exploration of the Galapagos Islands.
He has had major exhibitions of his photography at the Stanford University Libraries' Peterson Gallery in 2004 and the Judah L. Magnes Museum
Judah L. Magnes Museum
The Judah L. Magnes Museum is a museum of Jewish history, art, and culture in Berkeley, California. It was founded in 1962 by Seymour and Rebecca Fromer and named for Jewish activist Rabbi Judah L. Magnes, a native of Oakland...
in 2007.
Biography
Ira Nowinski is an American photographer of Polish and Hungarian Jewish descent. Born ca. 1942 and raised in New York, he was the firstperson in his family born in the United States. At the age of 42, he was prodded by opera singer Regina Resnick to do a photo essay around
the Jewish milieu. He had previously done photo essays of the North Beach, San Francisco, area, of the evacuation of elderly citizens from
hotels in the South of Market area of San Francisco, and of the Southeast Asian Community in the same city. In addition, he had been the
staff photographer of the San Francisco Opera since 1978.
Working first with Resnick and then with Seymour Fromer of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, Rhonda Abrams of the Anti-Defamation League,
Anita Friedman of Jewish Family & Children's Services, and the Northern California Board of Rabbis, Nowinski began documenting the
Jewish experience in the San Francisco Bay Area. One of his first projects was to document Soviet Jews who had immigrated during the
1970s and 1980s.
He also photographed the Karaite Jewish Community
Karaite Judaism
Karaite Judaism or Karaism is a Jewish movement characterized by the recognition of the Tanakh alone as its supreme legal authority in Halakhah, as well as in theology...
in Foster City
Foster City, California
Foster City is an affluent planned city located in San Mateo County, California, 94404. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 30,567. Forbes ranked Foster City #10 on their 2009 list of America's Top 25 Towns to Live Well. Money has also recognized Foster City multiple times as...
. The Karaites were a Jewish community that had lived for nearly 500
years in Egypt. The Arab-Israeli war resulted in the expulsion of the Jews from Egypt at the conclusion of that conflict. Many subsequently
immigrated first to Israel and then to Northern California. Nowinski retraced their migration route in reverse, first photographing Karaites in
Foster City, California, then in Israel, and finally in Egypt.
Nowinski and Sybil Milton of the U.S. Holocaust Museum did a joint work on the Holocaust Memorials throughout Europe, Israel, and in the
United States. This work, entitled "In fitting memory : the art and politics of Holocaust memorials" combined text provided by Milton with
Nowinski's photographic essay of the monuments documenting the millions of Jews who lost their lives under the Nazi regime.
External links
- Guide to the Ira Nowinski collection, ca. 1965-2000. Stanford University Libraries, 2003.
- Ira Nowinski - Photographer. Artist's website, retrieved 2011-01-30.
- Ira Nowinski: the Photographer as Witness. Online exhibit, Stanford University Libraries.
Research Resources
- Ira Nowinski collection, ca. 1965-2000 (10 linear ft.; ca. 15,000 photographs and negatives) are housed in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives at Stanford University Libraries