Francia Tobacman
Francia Tobacman (1942–2024) was a dedicated artist and lifelong New Yorker. Several themes run through her work. From early on in her career Tobacman identified herself as a feminist. In the 1970s, she organized a feminist conference in Upstate New York and mounted a show at WestBeth, the artist community in lower Manhattan where she lived, that featured women artists. Throughout her life she took on a variety of leadership roles in the Women's Caucus for Art and established the Jewish Women Artists Network. Inspired to delve into her background through her art, Tobacman worked on a multimedia project that focused on her Jewish roots, culminating in a 1995 touring exhibition. Together with her husband, percussionist Bruce Smith, they founded a summer arts program in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, which they ran for a decade. Tobacman's artwork has been widely exhibited and is included in the Feminist Art Base of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art at the Brooklyn Museum.[1]
Francia Tobacman founded the Jewish Women Artist Network (JWAN) of the Women's Caucus for Art, which hosted national conferences focused on Jewish themes from 2006 to 2012.[2]
"Growing Up at WestBeth" is a documentary film co-directed by Christina Maile and Francia Tobacman Smith. The film incorporates archival photographs, historical footage, and interviews conducted four decades later with individuals who spent their childhood at Westbeth Artists Community. It was screened in October 2010 as part of the WestBeth Film Festival, held during the community's 40th Anniversary Celebration.[3][4]
References
- ↑ Brochure from Museum Show: The Temple Emeth Jewish Experiential Museum presents FRANCIA: Personal Visions on Art & History
- ↑ "Women's Caucus for Art", Wikipedia, 2025-03-27, retrieved 2025-09-13
- ↑ https://www.archinform.net/projekte/80892.htm
- ↑ "MAKING IT WORK; Westbeth Memories (Published 1994)". The New York Times. 20 November 1994.
External links
This article "Francia Tobacman" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Francia Tobacman. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
- ↑ "Studio Francia". studiofrancia.com. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ↑ "Westbeth". Westbeth. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ↑ http://www.westbetharts.org/
