10 Feb 2014
Posted by Aliyah 
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Amy Fagin’s ketubahs are amongst some of Ketubah.com’s most popular so I wanted to get an inside look at the artist behind them. As is often the case, I found that Amy is so much more than a ketubah artist.
What has inspired your Ketubah art work?
“I would say that loving-kindness is the deepest inspiration for every mindful moment of my life, which, on a day to day basis, includes the craft of illumination, and especially illumination for Ketubot.
Inspiration flows from my imagination of, and experience with, the myriad forms of love and commitment that a couple would embark upon to inform the compositions for each creation. As a uniquely Jewish contract I also look toward the spiritual foundations and practices within Jewish thought and history to crystallize deeply meaningful representation. Always in my thinking process is the purpose that this artwork will have over the course of its life in the home and heart of the couple and their families; who will appreciate this Judaic art work as a reflection of the covenant made on the day of their union.”
“Always in my thinking process is the purpose that this artwork will have over the course of its life in the home and heart of the couple and their families”
Does the fact that your art is on a ketubah affect the design? Or does the design come first?
“Since I have been crafting illuminated Ketubot for almost 30 years, I would say that what “affects” the choices of composition for each illumination hsa completed a full spectrum of influence. From the secrets of Jewish history, culture, thought, and contemporary life, to the influence of world art history in its infinite variety of expression.
My work has grown and developed organically over the years with my own maturity as an adult, and member of the Jewish and world community.
My unique artistic insight is meditative, with an eye toward virtuosity, intellectual appeal and daily reflection upon the important foundations of “right living” as inspiration for each design.”
Amy’s work has taken her beyond just ketubahs and into a new world of illuminated manuscripts focused on genocide. I had to know how marriage contracts lead her to this meaningful work.
“As my technical expertise reached full maturity in the genre of manuscript illumination I had a revelation that I could use the talents and skills that I had honed over 20 years of daily practice to explore the history and legacy of mass atrocity around the world; divine a list of the most “important” atrocities to research more in depth, and create an illuminated manuscript as testament to the victims and the cultures of each of these impacted civilizations.
The effort has culminated in a series of illuminated manuscripts entitled “Beyond Genocide”. This ongoing effort has revealed to me the critical importance of broadening understanding of the history, and legacy, of genocide around the world for all people.
Amy has even applied for PhD candidacy in genocide studies and hopes that “a foundation in intellectual body of work dedicated to the study of genocide” will allow her to augment her skills both as a facilitator, as well as an educator.
“My hope is that a foundation in the intellectual body of work dedicated to the study of genocide will allow me to augment my skills as a facilitator and educator in this field so that the series “Beyond Genocide” will have an international home and help to broaden awareness in this important subject so that prevention can be considered a global effort.”
