- Object Name:
- Alms Container
- Artist/Maker:
- Harriete Estel Berman
- Bio:
- American, b. 1952
- Title:
- Tzedakah
- Place Made:
- San Mateo, California, United States
- Date:
- 1999
- Medium:
- Preprinted steel and aluminum rivets
- Dimensions:
- Each: 3 11/16 × 6 7/16 × 1/2 in. (9.4 × 16.4 × 1.3 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Purchase: Dr. Joel and Phyllis Gitlin Judaica Acquisitions Fund
- Accession Number:
- 2001-8a-yy
Not On View
While traditionally tzedakah (charity) was collected in containers, in today's world donations are more typically mailed. While alluding to this contemporary practice, Harriete Estel Berman's steel envelopes also recall dropping coins into metal tzedakah boxes. The artist exploits the power of the Minimalist grid but through her recycled materials-classic blue-and-white Jewish National Fund boxes, antique dollhouses, and other tin containers-infuses it with a wide range of folk and pop cultural references.
Information may change as a result of ongoing research.