Creativity Comes to Crown Heights

By YQ Media

Chassidim of Crown Heights now have an outlet to express their creativity and be inspired by the artistic talent currently flourishing in the neighborhood.

Inspired by what he described as the “abundant creativity simmering beneath the surface of Crown Heights,” renowned Chassidic artist, Yitzchok Moully launched Creative Soul, a program dedicated to exploring and celebrating Judaism through the Arts. The Creative Soul hosts creative events every Thursday night from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at the Mayan Center. The events feature art showings and musical performances by Crown Heights creatives who draw from the full spectrum of artistic endeavor, including painting, music, photography, and more.

Creative Soul also hosts open mic nights that invite all Crown Heights residents to showcase their talents. The open mic nights feature everything ranging from stand-up comedy to band performances to poetry readings. All Creative Soul events are open to the public.

Yitzchok Moully, whose work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, the Forward, and Chabad houses across the globe, partnered with the Mayan Center to curate its walls and put on monthly art shows.

Previously, the center displayed a series of paintings by David Ariel de Guglielmi titled “Chassidic Pop-Art.” At present, the Mayan Center and Creative Soul in conjunction with Rabbi Shais Taub are hosting a showing of dynamic portraits of the Rebbe aptly titled: “This is My Rebbe.” This creative exhibit attempts to recreate the aura of the Rebbe’s farbrengens. In the entrance of the center, from floor to ceiling, on all four walls, is a repeated image on a silkscreen piece depicting contemporary Chassidim that Moully photographed and reinterpreted artistically. This installation leads into a larger room that presents portraits of the Rebbe in various styles by 15 different artists. A replica of the Rebbe’s red chair silently sits in the corner of the room to serve as a powerful reminder to viewers that it has been empty for far too long. The show will run through July 13th and visitors to the Mayan Center may view the installation free of charge.

Moully explains the partnership with Mayan as a joint effort to establish a “collaborative community space” where the creative people of Crown Heights, as well as others who are interested, can come together to “share creativity with the frum community and use it to strengthen our Yiddishkeit.”

The Mayan Center, with its central location on Kingston Avenue and its tasteful decor, is proving itself to be an excellent venue for nurturing the budding creativity in Crown Heights under Moully’s passionate direction. “[Creative Soul] is for anyone and everyone who wishes to get involved and who is curious about creativity in any form,” Moully said.

For more information, visit www.thecreativesoul.org, the Creative Soul Facebook page, or call Creative Soul program director, Yitzchok Moully, at 908-448-1417. To receive updates about events and classes at the Mayan Center, follow Facebook.com/CHmayanCenter.