Why We Create

The Holocaust had a catastrophic effect on European art. Jewish artists perished in death camps and suffered trauma from religious and social persecution. Leaving their art vulnerable to destruction and looting, artists were forced to abandon their homes to flee their homeland; much artwork was destroyed, burned, or looted between 1933 and 1945.

In remembrance of those lost works, we host an arts education program teaching how to approach genocide studies. The Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center’s annual Holocaust through the Arts Program engages middle and high school students from all around Rhode Island in learning about the Holocaust through interpretive practices such as theater, film, and music.

Each year, the Sandra Bornstein Holocaust Education Center connects with, and educates, over 2,000 Rhode Island students in our Holocaust through the Arts Program.

The deadline for the Art & Writing contest is April 15, 2024.

This year’s contest theme is Heroes of the Holocaust

Though the Holocaust was a painfully tragic time in human history, even through the most hopeless of situations, there were everyday people who acted heroically. Whether it was a Jewish prisoner who aided other victims, righteous gentiles who sheltered the Jews, or local people who spoke out, there were glimmers of hope in an otherwise terrible time. We would like to highlight those everyday people who acted heroically. Please create a two-dimensional work of visual art (any medium: collage, paint, digital, etc.) that is no larger than 10”x10” and/or write a poem or essay with the theme of “Heroes of the Holocaust.” The work of art should be accompanied by a description of who or what inspired the art and the elements that you feel are relevant to our understanding. All work should be titled.

In addition to awards being given to some individual submissions, each school will be judged on their entire body of submissions, and the judges will choose one school as the winner. The winning school will have their student submissions (up to twenty – chosen by the judges) turned into an exhibit that can be displayed as a means of educating the larger school community.

Students may also enter independently of class or school.