On a very rainy evening (some parts of Virginia Beach saw nearly a foot of rain on September 16), kids and grownups alike filled the Sandler Family Campus’ Fleischmann Lounge with joy as they played with their food with award-winning artist Bill Wurtzel.
After a lively talk exploring his background creating playful funny food faces and books, participants of all ages created their own edible artwork using an array of gourmet mushrooms. Wurtzel’s most recent book, FUNGI, focuses exclusively on artwork made from mushrooms.
“I had so much fun, it was such a wonderful experience,” says Josephine Krekorian. Following the program, Wurtzel urged the attendees to take home as many mushrooms as they could carry – none went to waste. “I went home and made mushroom soup with lamb,” says Krekorian. “I cook with all those mushrooms. It never occurred to me to create art out of them!”
Wurtzel, who typically travels with his wife, an accomplished special educator, shared that they often present workshops for children at schools across New York City, promoting healthy eating.
“The most touching part of the evening was seeing how much he loves his wife. They will celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary next month,” says Sharon Serbin.
True to Wurtzel’s joyful approach, the program blended learning and play, complete with fun facts about the kingdom of fungi and hands-on exploration. Or, as Serbin says, “It was a fun and creative evening.”
A companion exhibit of Wurtzel’s art was displayed in the Simon Family JCC’s Leon Family Gallery throughout August and September. For those who missed it, signed copies of the artwork, as well as signed copies of FUNGI, are still available for purchase. Contact Shyanne Southern at SSouthern@UJFT.org or 757757-452-3184 for more information.
Hunter Thomas is director of Arts + Ideas at the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater. He can be reached at HThomas@UJFT.org or 757-965-6137.
