🄸 Gallery Reception

Gallery Opening for Rachel Brooke Goren
Wednesday, March 5, 5-7pm at the JCA

Growth, Hope, and Glitter

I put together this exhibit during Tu B’shvat, the Festival of Trees, with ice and snow covering the earth, and yet knowing that despite the freezing temperatures, concerning political landscape, and darkness that seems to envelope us in this wintry moment– growth is still occurring under it all. Perhaps it is my relentless optimism and hope, but I continue to believe in our abilities to grow, improve, dig deeper, shine brighter, sparkle more, and connect to love, joy, and truth. 

I am inspired by growth and change, from the blooming flowers to fall foliage, and the transformative journeys to which I have been fortunate to bear witness in loved ones and clients. I see the good and potential in humanity, sometimes beyond what is realistic. We are capable of so much more than we sometimes choose to believe. 

Creating is a messy and sometimes emotional process, with ups and downs and glitter everywhere. Courage is necessary for creativity- with a combination of vulnerability and strength, and space to play, laugh, cry, emote, and be present in the process. Hope is fundamental to me in creating—hope that we can make a better world and that just because something is broken or torn does not mean it cannot be made into something more valuable, beautiful, and meaningful.

I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I enjoyed creating them. 

About the Artist

Rachael Brooke Goren resides in Amherst with her two children (Jonah, 12, and Miriam, 9) and soon-to-be-wife, Julie Callan. She grew up in suburban Philadelphia where her kindergarten teacher expressed concern that she didn’t color inside the lines. She learned early on that well behaved women rarely make history. She attended Brandeis University and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Women’s Studies, UMASS Amherst for a Masters in Public Health, and Antioch University New England for her doctorate in clinical psychology. Her job history is as eclectic as her art style, including teaching yoga and hebrew school, farming, Camp Shemesh director, running teen and tot programs at the JCA, health educator and presenter, non-profit community organizer and activist, college counseling centers therapist, private practice psychotherapist, and currently a clinical psychologist, Director of Training and Co-Owner of Learning Solutions. She also runs a larger-than-just-a-hobby small art business, selling whimsical and social justice Judaica (often with a sense of humor), including the newsworthy Ruth Bader Ginsburg I Dissent menorah. Her work is on display at the Jewish Museum in Berlin, the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., and on the news during the 2020 Election.

Her work can be found on www.eclecticjudaica.com, Etsy, Faire, and museum shops, Judaica stores, art galleries, and toy stores across the globe, including Concepts of Art in Lenox, the Kolbo Gallery in Brookline, the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles, and the Museum of the Jewish Southern Experience in New Orleans. 

When she is not making a mess with glitter and paint in her home art studio or writing neuropsychological assessment reports, she enjoys spending time with her partner and two children, anxious cat, and recently added bernedoodle puppy, traveling and having adventures, connecting with family and friends, and remembering that life is too short and we should eat dessert first.

Dates of Exhibit: March 5 - April 25, 2025

Gallery Opening: Wednesday, March 5, 5-7pm

Address: Jewish Community of Amherst, 742 Main Street, Amherst 

Gallery Hours: Tues-Friday 10am-3pm; Saturday 10am-1pm; extended hours until 6pm on Wednesdays and most Fridays.

Feel free to call the JCA office to confirm open hours: 413-256-0160