The act of conscious betrayal perpetrated by civilized people against one another is a topic both Akiba Emanuel and G. Roy Levin have been moved to explore. Taking a unique approach toward analyzing the lessons of this historical event, Emanuel and Levin capture, in contrasting style, the concealment of dehumanization.
   G. Roy Levin, a Philadelphia native, worked in the theatre as a playwright, director and filmmaker before artistically exploring his historical and spiritual connection to the Holocaust. Levin’s paintings demonstrate that process, not heroic moments portrayed so often in art, is one of the most important and forgotten aspects in life and art.
   Akiba Emanuel’s presence (1912-1993) serves to remind us that our understanding of 20TH century American art is by no means complete. As an untutored painter of emergence in the 1930’s and 1940’s, Emanuel’s work was constantly changing and developing, imbued with his need for discovery, variety and his personal connection to the Holocaust. From the 1950’s onward, most of his works dealt with the barbarism of World War II. Perpetrated atrocities are explored again and again in his canvases through the 1980’s in an attempt to understand the historical presence of human deceit.
                

A gifted painter and sculptor whose original color, haunting personal iconography, and adventurous organization of pictorial space were exceptional among his peers, Pennsylvania born artist, Akiba Emanuel, stands as an emblem of how much still remains to be understood in regard to the generation of American artists who emerged following the birth of the Modern Art Movement. In his art, Emanuel walked a private path, burrowing ever deeper into the realm of dreams, nightmares, and memory.
   Working alongside other rising artists and actors in Greenwich Village such as Mark Rothko, Zero Mostel and David Smith, Emanuel left New York and headed to Denver, Colorado. Joining his wife in the "wild west" was difficult for Emanuel, facing new challenges and an uncertain audience. This exhibition depicts the physical and emotional responses of a talented artist whose work was based supremely on a highly subjective response to the world around him.

The universal language of dance served as a tool for tolerance as well as entertainment at the Mizel Museum of Judaica on December 2 and 3, 2000. December is a month filled with celebrations of tradition, from the observance of Kwanzaa, Christmas and Hanukkah to the lunar recognition of the Winter Solstice. During the first weekend of this festive month, the Mizel Museum added a new tradition to the holiday season with the addition of Moonlight Safari, a spiritual and intellectual journey of music and dance.
  Moonlight Safari, in conjunction with the Mizel Museum’s exhibition, "Dances of the Diaspora", explored dances of the Middle East and Mediterranean with performances by René Heredia and his Flamenco Fantasy Dance Theatre, the Denver Turkish Folkdance Group, El Badree Dance Troupe, and Shimbolim Israeli Dance Ensemble, to name a few. In addition to the multicultural dance performance, over 450 participants enjoyed henna hand painting, sitar music, a variety of cultural cuisine and an international shopping bazaar.
  Specially scheduled performances for over 700 school children in addition to adult and family oriented programs ensured that music and dance served as the underlying catalyst for uniting a diverse audience. Together, groups and individuals assembled to enjoy the energetic motion of movement, and to celebrate the diversity of cultures that comprise our global community.

In recognition of the outstanding nonprofit organizations throughout Colorado and in honor of Spencer Penrose’s commitment to the nonprofit sector, the Trustees of the El Pomar Foundation inaugurated the Awards For Excellence. Since its inception, the program has received a great deal of attention for its unique selection process; candidate organizations are nominated and selected by a distinguished panel of Coloradoans. Trustees then name individuals to the commission, who represent a variety of interests and share a history of leadership throughout Colorado. The Selection commission acts independently of the Foundation to determine the winner and finalists in each of 13 Awards For Excellence categories. Following a heartfelt nomination from Senator Hank Brown (R- CO), The Mizel Museum became a finalist in the category titled, The Henry McAllister Award For Special Projects, an award which recognizes excellence in organizations that strive to conduct unique and appropriate work vital to a community and its citizens. On November 16th, 2000, Mizel Museum benefactor, Larry Mizel, Associate Director, Ellen Gorgenyi and Curator/ Public Relations Director, Molly Dubin attended the banquet ceremony at the historic Broadmoor Hotel/ International Center in Colorado Springs.
  Following a series of video presentations illustrating the outstanding achievements of 33 nonprofit organizations that made the final round selections, a process that eliminated approximately 120 nominated institutions, the Mizel Museum went head to head with the Boggsville Historic Site of the Pioneer Historical Society of Bent County and Newborn Hope, Inc. Although the Mizel did not win its category, the Museum received a $2,500 grant, a beautiful plaque and numerous accolades for its accomplishments surrounding its first year of nomination. The Museum was honored to have been nominated, a selection that aligned the Mizel with a series of outstanding non-profits working diligently toward the betterment of the Rocky Mountain Region.
  The Mizel Museum of Judaica will work to continue providing, educational, enlightening programs for the Colorado community while striving towards a second nomination at the 2001 El Pomar Awards For Excellence.
  If you are interested in learning more about the El Pomar Foundation and The Awards For Excellence, a video program of the ceremony will be shown on Rocky Mountain PBS at the end of February, beginning of March--check your local television listings for date and time.