About the Artist Stephanie Caplan

I've always had a passion for art and design and try to live by the words of William Morris, “have nothing in your house which you do not know to be beautiful or believe to be useful...”

I've been working in judaica for many years now, focusing on creating modern ketubot that are both art and ritual object and now I want to turn my sights on the rest of judaica, starting with this menaorah. I see this as a way to blend my artistry and love of jewish ritual, as well as seeing that there is a need for true modern judaica design, as inspired by the artists and designers that I love, something that embodies the aesthetic of the 21st century.

I grew up in Montreal and Newton, Massachusetts, going to Solomon Schechter day schools in each place, I went to Camp Ramah, spent a year in Jerusalem and studied comparative religion and art history at Barnard College, so it's not so surprising that the judaism and art came together... later I lived in London, studied weaving, textiles and calligraphy.

My favorite artists tend to use just a few elements to create something that seems simple and quiet and through that we see their talent: sculptors like Goldsworthy, Kapoor, Noguchi, Brancusi... painters like Rothko, Frankenthaler, Richter, and my artist friends, photographers like Eggleston and Cartier-Bresson. I'm inspired by Japanese textiles and Eames chairs, trees and the ocean.

I love that I live and work in the same neighborhood where the yiddish culture thrived 100 years ago, and in a small way I’m bringing it back, but it’s also where everything new is happening... living in New York I get to go to all museums and galleries and draw on the modern style and creativity all around.

Making judaica allows me to bring the modern aesthetic to traditional objects, enhancing their use and connection to people, enabling transformation through art. What could be better?