The reopening of Chattanooga’s Walnut Street Bridge is serving as the inspiration for a new exhibit at the Jewish Cultural Center that looks beyond bridges as physical structures to explore the connections they can represent.
“Bridge,” on display through Nov. 20, uses artwork to examine the ways bridges can connect generations, cultures and traditions while also representing passages from fear to safety, barriers to communication and the divide between seeing a need and responding to it.
The exhibit includes works depicting a range of interpretations of the theme, including bridges of remembrance, dialogue and connection, as well as bridges between life and death and over troubled waters. Labels accompanying the works identify the type of bridge represented, where the artist is from and how the piece relates to the exhibit’s theme.
The Walnut Street Bridge itself is represented as a more literal example of a structure that connects Chattanooga’s diverse communities.
The pedestrian bridge also holds a particular significance for the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga.
When the federation welcomes a new Israeli cultural emissary to Chattanooga, staff members traditionally take the newcomer on a walk across the Walnut Street Bridge before sharing their first meal together. The walk is intended to symbolize the emissary’s role in connecting the people and culture of Israel with those of Chattanooga.
The exhibit coincides with the recent reopening of the Walnut Street Bridge following its renovation.
“Bridge” can be viewed Mondays through Thursdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Fridays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Parking is free.
The exhibit is presented as an educational service of the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga. The Jewish Cultural Center offers exhibits, programs and classes, social services and a preschool.
Information: 423 493-0270.