Beth Krensky / Gathering Light

Beth Krensky, a Jewish-American artist, describes herself as “a gatherer of things—objects, words, spirit—and a connector of fragments to make us whole.”

The exhibition Gathering Light holds a space to honor the emptiness left by the loss of over 1.5 million children who perished in the holocaust and provides an opportunity for collective reflection. Krensky’s artistic practice traverses the borderlands between spirit and matter as she creates objects and performative gestures as a contemplative act with the intention to metaphorically cross layers of shared and contested existence.

Rooted in a socio-historical memory of place, Krensky addresses pressing issues while providing a refuge—a free space—that allows participants to name themselves, envision a different reality, and engage in the re-making of their world. In this exhibition, she gathers light from unexpected places, including darkness. Her performance stills and delicately crafted objects provide openings for contemplating the hollows of loss and envisioning renewal.

This exhibition was curated by Granary Arts in partnership with Americans and the Holocaust: A Traveling Exhibition for Libraries, an educational initiative of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the American Library Association, hosted by Snow College Karen H. Huntsman Library from September 4 through October 11, 2023. For more information, visit www.snow.edu/library/.