Build-A-Bubbie: Sculpture Workshop with Jonah Strub

When someone mentions glamour, who is the first person in your own life that you think of? If your first thought was your Jewish mother or grandmother, this workshop is for you!

Pop culture has a veneration for Jewish woman. The tropes and stereotypes of Jewish women, especially mothers and grandmothers are wildly influential in the worlds of musical theatre, television, movies, and drag. Jewish women, both actors and characters, in many of these examples are the embodiment of camp. Think of Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Fran Drescher, and Michelle Visage. These women, many of them bubbies, are the epitome of camp, glitz, and theatricality.

In celebration of the final week of our exhibition Shtetl in the Sun, join us for a hands-on workshop by artist and sculptor, Jonah Strub. In this 3-hour workshop, participants will be provided plasticine clay and many embellishments including (but not limited to) glitter, rhinestones, and feathers to sculpt and photograph your own glamorous grandmother or any person of your choice. Your sculptures can be based on someone in your life or be entirely fictitious, as long as they are extremely glamourous. We hope to celebrate the chic and dazzling legacy of Bubbies with you all!

Prior to the workshop, Jonah will take participants on a brief guided tour of the exhibition, showing the process behind his own sculptures on view.

Tickets are $40 each or $35 for students. All materials included. Capacity is limited, so reserve your spot early to avoid disappointment. Click here to reserve your spot.

Jonah Strub (b. 1996) is a Toronto-based gay, Jewish artist with a primary focus on sculptural ceramics. Jonah’s work is a love letter to camp, kitsch, musical theatre, Yiddish humour, and drag, and explores his own femininity through the humour of traditionally queer and Jewish aesthetics. Jonah explores themes like glamorous grandmothers, cutesy creatures, and sublime self-portraiture in his work. Jonah often superimposes his face on his creations, paired with over-the-top patterns and exuberant, joyful imagery, to celebrate himself as a fully realized kitsch object.

Jonah holds a BA in Studio Art from the University of Guelph, specializing in oil painting and sculpture, and discovered ceramics during an exchange in Bremen, Germany in 2019 where he immediately fell in love with the medium. He earned a certificate in Cartooning and Illustration from George Brown College in 2022. In 2023, he participated in the Banff Emerging Artist in Residence Program. Jonah has exhibited around Canada and abroad including The Canadian Clay and Glass Museum, Art Gallery of Burlington, The Artist Project, and galleries in Germany and the USA. Jonah is one of two featured artists in Shtetl in the Sun, currently on view at the Museum of Jewish Montreal until June 1.

Accessibility: Please note that the upper levels of our building are not accessible to visitors with limited mobility. This workshop will take place on the first floor which is accessible from our main entrance via ramp. The exhibition is on the second and third floor, accessible by stairwell.