Connecticut Jewish Ledger

NEW HAVEN — Rockland County photographer Ned Harris has an eye for Jewish themes and Jewish humor. In his photograph entitled, “Mixed Blessings,” Harris captures the word “Jewish” on New York’s Time Square news billboard as a Santa Claus statue in the foreground rings a bell and points to a sign which says “Volunteers of America Wish You a Blessed Holiday Season.” This photograph and more are on display in “Expressions of Faith: the Street and Digital Photography of Ned Harris,” through Aug. 23 at the Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale University.

Harris, a native New Yorker, studied art history, photography and design at Pratt, the New School and the Art Student’s League. He then moved to Rockland County with his wife and four children. During his commute to Manhattan, where he owned a design studio, Harris had many opportunities to reflect on “the dynamics of the city…and the serene suburban scene.”

Harris’ images were incorporated into a book, “Form and Texture.” Harris’ works have been displayed locally, nationally and internationally at such places as the Rockland Center for the Arts, Hopper House, Valley Cottage Library, the American Institute of Graphic Arts in New York, the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Museum of the Diaspora in New York.

Harris’ photos of Times Square were recently featured at the New York Historical Society exhibition on the history of Times Square. Harris also served for many years as Director of Exhibitions at Rockland Center for the Arts.

For “Expressions of Faith,” Harris notes that he has edited his collection into two contrasting categories on the complex issues of faith. Harris reports, “It’s a journey from the vibrant streets of New York to the challenge of exploring the aesthetic potential inherent in the new computer technology.” Photographs on display also include “Sacred Stairs,” outside of a sofer’s store at 45 Essex Street on the Lower East Side, “The Thinker,” a picture of a man in Monsey walking to synagogue with his tallis on, hand on his forehead in front of a street sign, and “Eternal Light.” Harris explains, “I was finding expressions of faith on the streets of busy, hectic people, and evidence of spiritual content. Some sense of humor runs through it!. Harris reports that what makes the exhibit unique is that, in recent years, he has begun to use the computer to create images-many make reference to Jewish holidays and the Bible.

Harris enjoyed giving a tour recently to his grandson Sam Spencer’s class from the Ezra Academy of Woodbridge.

“This is really where I got my kicks. They were enthusiastic, alert, open, and they asked such intelligent questions,” reports Harris. “They wondered, ‘how did you do that? And they said, ‘That is so cool!’ I received so many compliments.”

The Joseph Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale-Alan and Leah Rabinowitz Gallery is located at 80 Wall Street in New Haven. Hours are Monday - Thursday from 10am to 7pm; Friday - Sunday from 10am to 3pm Call 203-432-1134 for more information.