ABOUT
This website was created during the fall semester 2024 by the students in the Humanities Lab AR/JS397 Alphabet of Creation: Ben Shahn’s Illustrated Books.
The course was motivated by the Colby College Museum of Art’s acquisition in spring 2024 of eight books with original art and calligraphy by celebrated artist Ben Shahn (1898–1969). The class studied these extraordinary works and considered them in a range of contexts, such as the artist’s life and career (and, in particular, his social activism and Jewish identity) and book arts (book design and production, calligraphy, illustration, etc.), while reflecting on websites as a format for visual material and art historical research.
We wish to express our gratitude to the individuals who met with the class and generously shared their insights: Cig Harvey, Jan Owen, Liv Rockefeller, Abby Shahn, Ken Shure, Amanda Slamm, Prof. Rob Weisbrot, and Steven Weinberg ’06.
Ellen Freeman, Teaching and Learning Applications Coordinator, and Garry Rosenblum, Visual & Interdisciplinary Arts Librarian, were indispensable partners in preparing for this course and throughout the semester. Thanks are also due for the support we received from the Center for the Arts and Humanities, the Colby College Museum of Art, and the departments of Art and Jewish Studies.
Howie Gao ‘25J,
Shayna Purow ’26,
Julia Reilly ’26,
Noam Reinhorn ’26,
Hannah Rosenberg ’25,
Victor Sabbatini ’28,
Jenifer Zanabriga ’25,
and Prof. Véronique Plesch
