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Large embroidered needlepoint designed by Yankel Ginzburg

Object | Accession Number: 1987.80.1

Colorful, embroidered wall hanging created by Yankel Ginzburg for the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington in 1976. The three-panel image was designed by Ginzburg and then executed in needlepoint by sixty-one artisans, 60 women and one man, between 1976 and 1986. The design is intended to symbolize the Jewish people's arduous journey to freedom.

Artwork Title
Freedom Road
Date
creation:  1976-1986
Geography
creation: Washington (D.C.)
Classification
Decorative Arts
Category
Needlework
Object Type
Canvas embroidery (lcsh)
Genre/Form
Embroidery.
Credit Line
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of the Bicentennial Commission of the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington, D.C., Aaron Goldman, Chairman

About This Object

Physical Description
Embroidered needlepoint wall hanging, stitched primarily in yellow, orange, and blue wool yarn, on a brown, double needlepoint, Penelope, cotton canvas measuring ten to the inch. It is composed of six narrower, vertical segments sewn together to form three visual panels. The central panel is depicted in orange tones with red, green, purple, white, and yellow highlights. Several key design elements are highlighted, including five ladders near the top, rising from the geometric orange shapes of the background, and many Hebrew characters scattered across the center. The left and right panels are separated from the center by vertical, white bands. They are embroidered mostly in blue tones with green, white, and purple line details, some curved and others wavy. The designer's name is embroidered in orange yarn at the bottom of the center panel. The canvas is stretched and slightly misshapen from use, and there are several small tears.
Dimensions
overall: Height: 123.875 inches (314.643 cm) | Width: 177.750 inches (451.485 cm)
Materials
overall : cotton, thread, wool
Signature
front, center panel, bottom, embroidered, orange yarn : Yankel Ginzburg
Contributor
Artist: Yankel Ginzburg
Designer: Yankel Ginzburg

Keywords and Subjects

Geographic Name
Washington (D.C.)

Administrative History

Legal Status
Permanent Collection
Provenance
The embroidered needlework was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1987 by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Washington.
Funding Note
The cataloging of this artifact has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

Rights and Restrictions

Conditions on Access
No restrictions on access
Conditions on Use
No restrictions on use

 
Record last modified: 2022-11-08 14:07:34
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn40