Through the Hat:

The Art of Steve Marcus

Through the Hat from the internationally acclaimed NYC based artist, Steve Marcus is an exhibition at The Jewish Museum of Florida - FIU that includes over 26 wood carved sculptures and Jewish ritual objects, more than a dozen hand drawn works of art on paper and custom synagogue furniture.  

Steve seamlessly weaves his childhood memories of bagels and bialys, pickles and green tomatoes from the barrel, paper wrapped whitefish chubs and his personal journey and passion for his own roots and culture. He created a folk cartoon world that is the Kosher cousin of the artists Alexander Calder and Red Grooms, coupled with underground comics, from his studio in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, once the stronghold of Yiddish Theatre. The exhibition is accompanied by photos of Steve at work, shot and developed by the legendary photographer and darkroom master, Sid Kaplan of Vanishing New York fame, also an East Side resident. The show’s namesake, Through the Hat, originates from a piece that was in a series based on a rare academic response by the great American novelist, Norman Mailer and his commentary on the philosopher Martin Buber’s, Tales of the Hasidim. Mailer's writings and reactions appeared in Commentary Journal, and was published by the American Jewish Committee from 1962 to 1963. The Through the Hat piece leads the exhibition and sweeps the viewer on a journey through black hats and into Steve’s delightful world. A world that Sid Kaplan describes as Calder’s “Circus for Yidden”.

Limited Edition Prints

Mixed Media