Wed 2/24-Sun 8/29
The death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last September at the age of 87 was devastating for many reasons. Certainly, the nakedly partisan rush to confirm her replacement just over a week before a presidential election dominated headlines following her death, sometimes eclipsing reflection on her towering legacy.
The Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage is opening an exhibit called Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which will give both her legion of admirers and those who may not know that much about her the opportunity to contemplate her story and her influence.
The exhibit is based on the 2015 book of the same name by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik, who helped create it. It uses archival photographs and documents, historical artifacts, contemporary art (including her portrait on loan from the National Gallery) media stations and gallery interactives to look at the American legal system and civil rights movements through Ginsburg’s life and career and explore the roles she played as a lawyer, judge advocate for women’s rights as well as her personal life. Viewers will be able to see some of her more impactful decisions and dissents.
The show also includes recreations of Ginsburg’s childhood Brooklyn apartment and the Supreme Court bench (which visitors can sit on and pretend they’re her), as well as family photos and some of her husband’s favorite recipes (he did the cooking!) It also touches, somewhat jokingly, on the book’s connection of Ginsburg to fellow Brooklynite, the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg embodied the Jewish value of respect for all humanity,” says Maltz Museum Managing Director David Schafer in the exhibit press release. “The Maltz Museum expresses the same value, as we work toward a more inclusive, just, and civil society. We are honored to share the Justice’s story with visitors, in person and online.”
Opening week (February 24-28) tickets are $5, available at 216-593-0575 or www.maltzmuseum.org. The exhibit will be open Wednesday-Sunday @ 10am-5pm; general admission is $12, $10 for students & seniors, and $5 for kids ages 5-11. Virtual tours of the exhibit are also available.
Also on opening day @ 7pm, Notorious RBG authors Carmon and Knizhnik will host a Zoom program talking about their book and about Ginsburg’s life and influence. Tickets are $5, also available at the Maltz Museum’s website.
Beachwood, OH 44122