Dear Dearest Mother

Leslie Starobin’s Wartime Still Life Montages
October 4, 2015—January 3, 2016
The following extended
captions were written by
the Artist to accompany her
photographic montages. The
memorabilia featured in these
works is catalogued by the
extended caption
for each work.
.
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 20” x 25”
Montage Elements: Original daguerreotype, circa 1846; Original ambrotypes,
circa 1850s; Original cabinet print, circa 1860; Original letter, 1842; McClellan
Civil War saddle, circa 1860; Award from Massachusetts Commandery of
the Military Order of the Loyal Legion (Mollus), 1880’s. All items from
Framingham History Center Special Collection
“General George H. Gordon.”
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: Original tintype, circa 1860; Original Civil War journal,
1860 -; Civil War bullet, circa 1860; Paper Photograph
from Dundee, MI, not dated
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: Original tintype, circa 1860; Original Civil War journal,
1860 -; Civil War button, circa 1860
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: Original tintypes, circa 19th century; Original Civil War
journal, 1860 -; Civil War button, circa 1860; Clay pipe, circa 1860
2014
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 20” x 20”
Montage Elements: Original leather journal, circa 1900; Cabinet photograph,
circa 1900; U.S. Navy Enlistment Record, 1902; U.S. Treasury Coin, circa 1880s
“It was the schooner Hesperus,
That sailed the wintry sea;
And the skipper had taken his little daughter, To bear him company...”
2014
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 20” x 20”
Montage elements: Original Eisenhower Jacket, circa 1940s; Original Black
and White photograph, circa 1940s; U.S. Army helmet liner, circa 1940s;
Military awards and decorations of the U.S. Army, circa 20th century
2008
Still-life montage printed on Somerset Velvet Paper, 20” x 20”
Montage elements: Original photograph from Düsseldorf, Germany, circa
1920; Snapshot, France, summer 1945; French Resistance cap, not dated;
French Resistance card, France, 1958
2012
Still-life montage printed on Somerset Velvet Paper, 20” x 20”
Montage elements: W.A.A.F. trousers, 1944; British passport, 1939; Royal Air
Force service and release book, circa 1940s; Snapshot, Paris, 1946; Snapshot,
French Riviera, 1949; National identity card, France, 1950s; New Bedford
Times, 1946; Badge (after wartime) signifying prisoner was incarcerated at
Natzweiler-Struthof; Royal Air Force medal from the Queen of England;
Gloves and pocketbook, unknown date
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: Silk scarf, circa 1940s, Escape Map, circa 1940s, Black
and White photograph, 1944; Reyna Cross III Camera, undated; V-mail letter,
1944; Nazi arm band, circa 1940s; Identification tag, circa 2010. All items
courtesy of the Framingham History Center Special Collection “G. Burns.”
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: South Vietnamese flag, not dated; High School
photograph, circa 1960s; Draft Card, 1966; U.S. Military Portrait, circa
1960s; Telegram, 1967; Letter from 1967
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: Black and White U.S. Air Force I.D. photograph, circa
1960s; U.S. Air Force Flight Book, circa 1960s; Navigation Training Map, circa
1960s; Navigation equipment, circa 1960s; Military awards and decorations
of the U.S. Air Force, circa 1960s
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 30” x 30”
Montage Elements: Combat Infantry Badge from WW II; Dog tag, 1969;
Fléchettes, 1969-70; Kodak Instamatic Color Print, February 1969; Military
Certificate, circa 1970; Military Payment Certificates, 1969-70; Photo Albums,
1969-1970; Black and White Photograph, circa 1970; Vietnamese currency,
not dated
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 20” x 20”
Montage Elements: Dallah (coffee pot), undated; U.S. Army leaflet with Farsi
inscription; Swatch of uniform camouflage, circa 1990; U.S. Desert Storm
Evasion Chart and map, 1990; Letter, 1990; Color Photograph from Kuwait, 1990
2015
Still-life montage printed on Hahnemuhle Museum Etching Paper, 20” x 20”
Montage Elements: Dog tag, circa 21st century, Wrestling Action Figure, not dated;
Digital photograph, 2008; U.S. Army Notebook; Green Beret patch, circa 21st
century; Glove and other U.S. Army gear, circa 21st century; Bullet, circa 21st century
Curriculum Vitae of Leslie Starobin
Current Full-Time Academic Position and Affiliation:
- Professor of Communication Arts, Framingham State University, Framingham, MA
- Research Associate and Member of the Academic Advisory Committee, Hadassah Brandeis Institute,
Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (since 2011)
Fellowships/Awards/Prizes:
- CELTSS Research Award, Framingham State University, MA 2015, 2013, 2010, 2009
-Whitney Travel Award, Independent Alumni Association of Framingham State University, 2009
- Hadassah Brandeis Institute Research Award, Brandeis University 2008, 2007
- First Prize/Digital Imaging, Richard Nagler Photography Competition, Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, CA 1999
- Artist’s Fellowship, Massachusetts Cultural Council 1995
- Fellowships, Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture NY, NY 1994,1993
- Honorarium, Duke University Museum of Art, Durham, NC 1990
- Kinnicutt Grant, awarded by the Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, MA 1988
- Visual Artist Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts 1984
Collections:
Photographs and montages included in the permanent/public collection of the following museums and institutions:
- Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA
- Duke University Museum of Art, Durham, NC
- Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
- Jewish Museum, NY, NY
- Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, CA
- Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX
- Museum of Modern Art, NY, NY
- National Jewish Museum, Washington, DC
- Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA
- Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA
Commissioned Still-Life Montages for Institutions and Private Collectors:
- Henry Whittemore Library, Framingham State University, MA 2014
- Congregation B’nai Torah, Sudbury, MA (Jacob’s Dream triptych) 2004
- Rashi School, Dedham, MA 2000
Solo-Publication:
Starobin, Leslie. Inheritance: Stories of Memory and Discovery, 2012 (Available at iTunes)
Summary of Solo Exhibitions:
- “Dear Dearest Mother: Leslie Starobin’s Wartime Still Life Montages,”
Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA 2015-16
- Solo Exhibit, Denison Museum, Denison University, Granville, OH 2014
- Solo Exhibit, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 2014
- “Inheritance: Stories of Memory and Discovery,” Holocaust Museum Houston, TX 2012-13
- “New England Currents,” Danforth Art Museum, Framingham MA 2006-07
- “Shadows Across the Promised Land,” Oregon Jewish Museum, Portland, OR 2002-03
- “Shop Windows From History” Hampshire College Photo Gallery, Amherst, MA; Hess Gallery, Pine Manor College, Chestnut Hill, MA 2003
- “Photographs by Leslie Starobin” (In conjunction with course, Jerusalem in Art and Literature),
Smith College Museum of Art, Northampton, MA 1998
- “Leslie Starobin: Visual Montages – Of Past and Future,” B’nai Brith Klutznick National Jewish Museum,
Washington, DC 1997
- “Dancers’ Feet: Photographs by Leslie Starobin,” Duke University Museum of Art, Durham, NC 1990
- “Swimmers by Leslie Starobin,” Fogg Art Museum (Print Room Series), Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 1988
Summary of Exhibitions – Three-Person and Group Shows:
- Off the Wall Juried Exhibition, Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA 2012;
Receipt of Honorable Mention by juror Susan Stoops, Curator at Worcester Art Museum
- Three-Person Exhibition in Conjunction with 25th Anniversary of Cohen Holocaust Center, Thorne-Sagendorph Art Gallery, Keene State College, Keene, NH 2008
- “Photographers’ Network”, Thomas Kellner’s Studio, Siegen, Germany 2008, 2005
- “State of the Art,” Group Show, Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA 2007
- “New England Photography Biennial,” Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA 2007
- “Works on Paper: Digital Printmaking at Singer Editions,” Davis Art Center, Wesleyan University,
Middletown, CT 2001
- Group Exhibit, Awarded First Prize/Digital Imaging, Richard Nagler Photography Competition, Judah L. Magnes
Museum, Berkeley, CA 1999
- “PostMark International,” Artspace, New Haven, CT 1998
- “Journey to Freedom,” Bellevue Art Museum, Bellevue, WA 1998
- World Photo Art Exhibition and Auction, Center of Photography, Tokyo Institute of Polytechnics,Tokyo, Japan 1996
- “Facing the Lens: Portraits from the Danforth Collection,” Danforth Art Museum, Framingham, MA 1995
- “Body Language,” Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 1990
- “Selections from the Permanent Collection,” Rose Art Museum 1988
- “The Art of Free Expression,” Nielsen Gallery, Boston, MA 1987
- “Fresh” Children’s Museum, Boston, MA 1986-7
- “For Kids’ Sake, Photographs of Today’s Youth,” Photographic Resource Center at Boston University,
Boston, MA 1985
- “Between Twelve and Twenty,” Barnes Gallery, Loomis Chaffee School, Windsor, CT 1982-3
Summary Bibliography
(Listing of books, articles, publications or reviews mentioning and/or publishing my work):
- Ori Soltes, Tradition and Transformation: The Question of Jewish Art
(Boulder, CO: MaKom Publications, Expected publication date, November 2015).
- “Art of Leslie Starobin,” In the Monument, Interactive Website and On-line Documentary Film, Interfilms Production, Inc., Vancouver, Canada 2015.
- Jacleen Charbonneau, “Beyond History Books: Local Artist Offers Deeper Understanding of the Holocaust,”
Worcester Art Magazine, April 17, 2014.
- Sandra Gray, “Montages of survivors’ mementos recall Holocaust memories,”
U Mass Med Now, April 10, 2014.
- Brandeis Modern Hebrew, Brandeis University Press (Hanover and London:
University Press of New England), 2013, 2003 (Cover montage art by Leslie Starobin).
- Nadine Kenney Johnstone, “An Interview with Leslie Ann Starobin, author of
Inheritance: Stories of Memory and Discovery,” The Grub Daily, December 19, 2012.
https://grubstreet.org/grub-daily/an-interview-with-leslie-ann-starobin-author-of-inheritance-stories-ofmemory-and-discovery/
- Abby Koenig, “The Holocaust Museum’s New Exhibit Tells a Beautiful Story,” Houston Press, September 17, 2012.
- Leonard Greenspoon, Rites of Passage: How Today’s Jews Celebrate, Commemorate and Commiserate
(Columbia City, IN: Purdue University Press, 2010) pg. 81.
- Elise Kigner, “Artists Tell Another Chanukah Story,” The Jewish Advocate, December 3, 2010.
- Dawn Swann, “Photographic Memories: Teaching how to detect stories in family pictures,”
The Jewish Advocate, February 12, 2010.
- Judy Bolton-Fasman, “Coming to Terms With My Mother’s Half-Century-Old Lie,”
The Jewish Daily Forward, December 10, 2009.
- Chris Bergeron, “Homeland Security.” The Metrowest Daily News. January 25, 2007.
- Pakn Trager, Yiddish Book Center, Amherst, MA 2003.
- Heather Davis, “Connecting cultural and artistic identity: Photomontage artist celebrates her heritage with
work from Belarus and Jerusalem” The Needham Times, January 24, 2002.
- Paul Starobin, “Letter From Belarus: Seeking Roots in Chernobyl’s Shadow”
Business Week, October 16, 2000 (Photographs by Leslie Starobin).
- Abraham B. Yehoshua, The Terrible Power of A Minor Guilt (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2000
(Cover photograph by Leslie Starobin).
- PIX Digital Annual. NY, NY December/January 2000.
- Digital Fine Art, Manalapan, NJ Summer 1999.
- Terri Sullivan, “But Is It Art? Digital Works Infiltrate The Museum and Gallery Scene,” PDN, NY, NY June 1999.
- Marty Carlock, “Drawing from an autobiography,” The Boston Globe, Boston, MA January 25, 1998.
- Victoria Josslin, “BAM’s exhibit ‘Journey to Freedom’ diverse, generous full of compromise,” Seattle Post
– Intelligencer, Seattle, WA May 1998.
- Digital Imaging, Update: Iris Prints Displayed in Washington Museum’s Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit, Micro Publishing Press, Inc., Torrance, CA 1997.
- Lorna Gentry, Gallery Section on Digital Artists, PEI Magazine, Atlanta, GA 1997.
- Stephen Golding, Photomontage: An Artist’s Guide to Building Pictures, (Rockport, MA: Rockport Publishers, 1997).
- Steri King, “Does Traditional Art Belong in Traditional Museums?” The Big Picture, October 1997.
- Ori Soltes, Landscapes in Time and Space. Photography and Photo Montages by
Leslie Starobin. Paintings by Burt Hasen. B’nai B’rith Kluznick National Jewish Museum, 1997.
- Leslie Starobin, “The Ancient Healer.” The Boston Globe Travel Magazine, Boston, MA 1994
(Text and photos about the Dead Sea by Starobin).
- Dance Magazine, NY, NY 1990.
- Steven Litt, “Seconding the motion. Shutters prove quicker than dancers’ fleet feet.”
The News and Observer, Raleigh, NC. June 8, 1990.
- Evelyn Roth, “The Bostonians.” American Photographer, NY, NY 1988.
- For Kids’ Sake. Photographs of Today’s Youth, Photographic Resource Center at Boston University and WBZ TV 4,
Boston, MA 1985.
- George French, “Portraits of Inner Turmoil. Leslie Starobin’s photographs capture teens’ anguish,”
The Evening Gazette, Worcester, MA June l5, 1984.
Summary of Academic and Public Lectures, Gallery Talks:
- Public Gallery Talk, Denison Museum, Denison University, Granville, OH 2014
- “The Last Address,” Jewish Studies Dept., Rice University, Houston, TX 2012
- Lecture, Warren Fellows’ Program, Holocaust Museum Houston, TX 2012
- Holocaust Remembrance Day: A Journey with Stories and Photomontages, Life
Long Learning Series, Framingham Public Library, MA 2012
- Artist’s Talk, “The enduring texture of memory and culture in the lives of Ashkenazi and Sephardic families
from vanishing Jewish communities around the world,” Mayyim Hayyim, Paula Brody Family Education Center,
Newton MA 2010
- Plenary Panelist at the tribute for Professor Emeritus Jerome Liebling at the inauguration of the Liebling Media
Center, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA 2004
- “From Moscow to Jerusalem: An Artist’s Search for Roots,” Nicholson Lecture Series, Pink Manor College,
Chestnut Hill, MA 2003
- Gallery Talk, Oregon Jewish Museum, Portland, OR 2002
- Keynote Lecturer, Conference on “Photography with a Digital Spin” sponsored by the New England Woman in
Photography, Simmons College, Boston, MA 2000
- “Robert Capa: Visual Communicator,” Public Gallery Talk in Conjunction with exhibition
“Robert Capa: Photographs,” Worcester Art Museum, MA 2000
- Guest Lecturer, Smith College Museum of Art, in conjunction with Smith College
course “Jerusalem in History, Literature and Art,” Northampton, MA 1999, 1998
- Panelist, “The Dead Sea Scrolls in History and Art,” National Jewish Museum, Washington, DC 1997
Education:
M.F.A., Photography, San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, CA
B.A., Literature and Photography, Hampshire College, Amherst, MA
Acknowledgements
by Leslie Starobin
Special thanks to the following
veterans and families:
I am especially grateful to the following people who
generously shared their wartime experiences, family
narratives, and precious keepsakes with me. Their
participation contributed to the creation of the still life
montages on view in this gallery. They are Isadore and
Phyllis Cutler, Kevin Flike, John C. Halfrey, Peter Harvell,
Ken Kane, Jeff Makholm, Judy and John T. McEntegart,
Ted Prorok, and Michel Scheinmann.
I also want to thank John Ambacher, David Joselyn, Anita
Lewin, Marilyn and John Pugh, and Catherine Tucker, whose
familes’ experiences are documented in other works in my series, not on view here.
I also want to recognize Peter Harvell, Director of the Department of Veterans’ Services in the Town of
Framingham. Not only did he contribute his keepsakes from Desert Storm to this exhibit, but he also
identified veterans for this project. He hosted introductory meetings in his office at the Framingham
Town Hall. He proofread the caption text in this booklet and added editorial comments. I am very grateful.
Special thanks to these individuals, whose professional expertise helped to make this exhibition possible:
I am deeply indebted to Anita Lewin, Cornelius Howland, and Jonathan Singer of Singer Editions for their
tireless commitment to masterfully printing these still life montages. Throughout the process, Anita and I
discussed composition, content, color palette, and the printing process. This interchange was paramount
to the success of this project.
I want to thank Larry Plitt and the staff at Fort Point Framers in Boston, Karen McFeaters and Elisa
Hamilton, for doing an outstanding job framing the works on display.
I also want to extend a special thank you to my close friends and colleagues at Framingham State
University. I am very grateful to CELTSS, the Center for Excellence, Learning, Teaching, Scholarship and
Service at Framingham State University, for a grant for this exhibition. I also want to thank Provost and
Vice-President Linda Vaden-Goad for granting me a sabbatical to carry out this project.
I also want to thank Dana Dauterman-Ricciardi, the curator at the Framingham History Center. She
introduced me to interesting materials at the FHC, and she granted permission for me to use the Special
Collection “General George H. Gordon” and Special Collection “G. Burns.” Long time FHC volunteer, Linda
de Cougny, assisted me with transporting and scanning the collections. Fred Wallace proofread the
captions related to the montages created from the Gordon and Burns collections.
Lastly, Katherine French, the former director of Danforth Art Museum\School, encouraged me to pursue
this project. Danforth Art Curator Jessica Roscio also deserves special recognition.
All still life montages are
archival inkjet prints, printed
by Singer Editions, Boston, MA
Danforth Art Museum\School
Framingham, MA
www.danforthart.org