Judith Margolis

Margolis was born into a Jewish family and Yiddish-speaking community in the Bronx, NY. In 1948 her family moved to suburban New Jersey, from which the adolescent Margolis would adventure to New York City for her early artistic education.

Margolis began her artistic training during high school at age 15 with a drawing class at The Art Students League, then attended Cooper Union, where she met her first husband Albie Tabackman. The two traveled across the United States to California, where they lived at Magic Forest Farm in Oregon.[1] Margolis also studied at Lone Mountain College in San Francisco, and has an MFA (1986) from the University of Southern California.[2]

Margolis led an Orthodox Jewish life in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Israel before leaving the orthodoxy.[3] And for the last 10 years, since leaving Orthodoxy, she has been slowly finding a balance between everything she has gained from her religious life and a retrieval of the freedoms that she believes are important for her art.[1]

Since 1996, Margolis has been the Art Editor of Nashim: The Journal of Jewish Women's Studies and Gender Issues, published by Indiana University Press.[4][5]

She was selected as one of ten international Common Ground artists.[6]

Margolis is Creative Director of Bright Idea Books, which produces limited edition and artist's books.

Margolis wrote and illustrated the prayer book Life Support; Invitation to Prayer.[7]

In 2015 she was co-curator for the Jerusalem Biennale, presenting the Women of the Book exhibition in which women artists offered their own interpretations of the weekly divisions of the bible.[8]

• MFA from University of Southern California, 1986[9]
• BA from Lone Mountain College, SF, CA 1977[10]
• Two years study at Cooper Union, NY, 1962–64[10]
• Additional studies Columbia University, NY

Life Support: Invitation to Prayer, Penn State University Press (2019)[11][8]

Countdown to Perfection:Meditations on the Sefirot. Limited edition fine art unbound book contained in an individual, linen clad, oyster box. (2009)[12][13]

The Underground Dreams of a Cactus, Limited edition hand painted etching, mono-print cover. (1983)[14]

Judith's second husband, the author David Margolis, died on July 17, 2005.[15] She has three children and six grandchildren.

• Coolidge Colloquium Research Fellowship; 2010[2]
• 18th Street Arts Center, Santa Monica, CA; 2008, 2009[2]
• Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, CA; 2008
• Brandeis-Bardein College Institute (LA), Faculty; 1999-00
• International Plein-Air Printmaking Grant, Chelushkinskaya, Russia (1996)[2]
• International Plein-Air Printmaking Residency Grant, Fargo ND (1998)[2]
• International Plein-Air, Artist-in-Residence; Morehead, MN; 1998
• Brandeis-Bardein College Institute (LA), Faculty; 1997
• Chomut, Christina, TODAY'S LOCAL NEWS, "Space Visions", January 30, 2005
• International Plein-Air, Artist-in-Residence, Moscow; 1996
• Arad Arts Project (Israel), Artist-in-Residence; 1993–94[2]
• Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, Project Grant; 1993–94
• UCLA Extension, Instructor, Drawing/Painting/Book design; 1990–93
• University of Southern California (LA), Instructor, Painting/Design; 1984–89
• University of Judaism (LA), Instructor Painting/Drawing/Book Design; 1990–91
• Brandeis-Bardein College Institute (LA), Faculty; 1988–90
• Woman's Studio Workshop (NY), Artist-in-Residence/Project grant ; 1983[19] During this residency, Margolis created The underground dreams of cactus, an handmade artit's book in an edition of 20. The book documents a post-modern woman's experience. Sixteen etchings incorporating images and handwritten text explore the perils of living in a body-conscious, sex conscious world.[20]
• Cornell Council on the Arts (NY), Project grant; Ithaca, 1983 [2]

• Official web site
• Nashim: The Journal of Jewish Women's Studies and Gender Issues
• CommonGround2008
• Bright Idea Books
• "Women of the Book"
• "Judith Margolis:The Yatir Collection"
• Kalsman Institute on Judaism and Health