The American Museum of Ceramic Art is pleased to present A Father’s Kaddish, on view in the Igal and Diane Silber Vault Gallery.
A Father’s Kaddish tells the story of how Steven Branfman used the craft of pottery to help him work through his grief after the death of his 23-year-old son. In 2005, Jared Branfman died of brain cancer at the age of 23. A week after his death, his father Steven Branfman, a potter and teacher, went into his studio, took some clay, and made a chawan, a Japanese style tea bowl. Each day for one year, he made one chawan – they were the only pots he made. Steve’s daily chawan made at his wheel was his own personal kaddish (traditional Jewish prayer of mourning). For 9 years, these 365 bowls sat unfinished on shelves in Branfman’s studio. Nine years later, he decided to glaze and fire these bowls, bringing them to life with color and sheen. A Father’s Kaddish is the personal story of a man who created an art form to honor his son and his son’s memory. The short film A Father’s Kaddish (2020), which will be screened during the June 1 opening reception to accompany this exhibition, is a potent and moving journey through the universal experience of loss, mourning, and rebuilding a life.
Eighty-five of Branfman’s mourning bowls, along with the trailer for the film, will be on view in the Igal & Diane Silber Vault Gallery at AMOCA from May 11–August 18, 2024.
Admission to the reception and Museum galleries is complimentary with advance registration. Light refreshments will be served.
- 4:00 PM: Doors Open
- 5:00 PM: Film screening, followed by Q & A
Information about at-the-door prices can be found at AMOCA.org/visit
Pictured above: Modified film still from A Father’s Kaddish (Spencer Films, 2020)
