May 22, 2024 - Aaron Lansky, James Bennett II, and the Boston Triennial
About The Episode
Aaron Lansky is credited with saving a world of Yiddish literature, language and culture. It started in the late 1970’s when he was studying Yiddish literature at Mcgill University and was having a hard time finding the books he needed to pursue his scholarship. So he organized a nationwide network of volunteer book collectors and launched a campaign, now known as The Yiddish Book Center, to save the world’s surviving Yiddish books. At the time, it was estimated that there were 70,000 Yiddish books to rescue. His team saved 1.5 million. Today the Yiddish Book Center, located in Amherst on the campus of Hampshire College, is one of the largest Jewish cultural organizations in the world
Aaron Lansky joins The Culture Show to discuss why he has decided to retire as the center’s president.
From there Culture Show co-host James Bennett II joins us with and arts and culture roundup, which includes a photography exhibit at the Boston Athenaeum, “Framing Freedom: The Harriet Hayden Albums,” which features nearly 90 photos depicting Black lives and Black freedom
Finally we get a preview of the first-ever Boston Public Art Triennial which will happen in May 2025. It will distinguish Boston as one of the few cities in the U.S. to do this and it could forever change Boston’s relationship to public art.
I’m joined by two of the people behind this effort: Kate Gilbert, Executive Director of Boston Public Art Triennial, and culture show contributor Pedro Alonzo. He’s an independent curator who is the Artistic Director of the triennial.
