Keynote Speakers
Kalman Bland
Presented "Evaluating Visual Culture in Judaism, Then and Now," examining how Jewish visual traditions have been understood historically and in the present.
Liz Lerman
Presented "Creation as a Daily Act: Jewish Identity in the 21st Century," connecting artistic practice with contemporary Jewish identity.
Welcome and Talks
Douglas Rosenberg opened the conference with a welcome talk on Monday, April 23rd, setting the stage for the week's sessions.
Additional talks throughout the schedule addressed themes including:
- Jewish visual culture
- Jewish masculinity in postmodern dance
- Jewish women in the arts
- Revelation in art
Full session details, including times and locations, are listed on the Schedule page.
For students and scholars attending ConneyConference, the sessions on Jewish visual culture offer a rich opportunity to connect academic inquiry with creative practice. Presenters have examined how visual traditions within Judaism have been interpreted across historical periods, while other talks have explored the relationship between contemporary artistic creation and evolving Jewish identity in the modern world. These discussions provide valuable context for graduate researchers working on dissertations and theses in fields such as religious studies, art history, cultural studies, and related disciplines. Attendees can draw inspiration from the interdisciplinary approaches modeled by the speakers, applying similar methods of critical analysis and contextual framing to their own writing projects, whether they are developing proposals, literature reviews, or full doctoral manuscripts.
Beyond the presentations themselves, the conference serves as an instructive example of how academic events can support scholarly writing development. For graduate students composing dissertations or theses, observing how experienced researchers structure their arguments, present their findings, and engage with audience questions offers practical insights into effective academic communication. The conference's thematic focus on Jewish identity and visual culture demonstrates how a well-defined research topic can sustain meaningful scholarly exploration across multiple sessions and perspectives. This model of focused inquiry is directly transferable to dissertation work, where establishing a clear topic, organizing chapters, and maintaining a coherent argument are essential skills. Attendees working on their own academic writing can use these sessions as case studies in effective presentation, citation, and scholarly rigor.
Contributing Artists
Alongside the keynote and talk presenters, artists contributed work exploring Jewish identity and culture, shown as part of the conference's visual program. See the Gallery for related imagery, and the About page for background on the conference's goals.