Spotlight: Artist and LAJS Collaborator Monica Marks
A headshot of artist and LAJS collaborator Monica Marks

New year, new us continues!

We wanted to share more about what is new around here and what we have been doing with our time during the global pandemic. We deeply missed all of you and the in-person connections that concerts, events and our educational programs always provided; however, the pandemic afforded us the time to look at our virtual presence and the opportunity to modernize our look to reflect a new, fresh feel for the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, one that helps to both sustain and build our reach and community.

We contacted friend, frequent collaborator, Jewish Community Chorale (JCC) member and artist Monica Marks to help us create and communicate this new look. We tasked her with creating an updated version of our LAJS logo to be used for some of our virtual content. She did not disappoint! With Chagall’s stained-glass windows at Kehila Kedosha Janina Synagogue and Museum in New York as her inspiration, Monica conceived and designed our beautiful new logo. Using Adobe Illustrator for her graphic design work, Monica had never created a stained-glass image before. After much trial and error, she began to see success and says, “I may have done a silly happy dance” when she saw the image begin to come together. This logo, she says, conveys, “everything I hoped it would: beauty, cohesion, depth and joy.”

Building on her lively color pallet and artistic vision, Monica’s artwork became Vector Strategies’ inspiration for the overhaul of our LAJS website and logo. Her creative and innovative work brought a fresh, contemporary look to our online presence. We hope you agree and hope you find it easy to navigate.

Although our look is evolving, we remain true to our mission since our founding in 1994. We are excited to share our fresh new look with all of you! We’d like to extend a huge thank you to Monica for delivering such a striking piece and for the generous donation of her time and creativity to the LAJS. While she donates her graphic design work to serve the Jewish community including the Women of Aliyah at Temple Aliyah, the Jewish Community Choir and the LAJS, she also creates other beautiful works as a collage/assemblage artist.

Last year Maestra Green visited Monica’s gallery show to talk with her about her work and her inspirations – check out the video below! To see more of Monica’s work, visit her website at MonicaMarksArt.com or on Instagram @monicamarksart and Facebook @Monicamarksart.

 

A picture of artwork from Monica Marks's gallery showcase in 2021.
A picture of artwork from Monica Marks's gallery showcase in 2021.
A picture of artwork from Monica Marks's gallery showcase in 2021.