Beyond Noah's Ark is now Atiq: Jewish Maker Institute.
A bit more about the name, and what we're up to around here: Atiq means Ancient in Hebrew/Aramaic, and in Kabbalistic terminology is a term that refers to the source from which all creativity springs (also known as Keter, one of the Sefirot).
Our central aim at Atiq is to use art and object making and Jewish text learning as a means of giving people of all ages and backgrounds a sense of vibrant personal connection to the depth and richness present in our ancient sources. The process of learning and creating is meaningful in its own right and also produces a sacred material culture that can ground our personal practice and be shared with family and friends. When we weave together our contemporary voices and perspectives with the our most ancient traditions, we succeed in crafting individual lives and communities of living Torah.
There's a lot that we have in the works for this year, and lots more that we're planning in the long term. A quick overview of things we're already doing, mixed in with some dreamy visions for the future: Atiq currently features community maker programming and makerspace + Jewish maker consulting/workshops for various orgs. And when we’re daydreaming, we dream of a maker yeshiva (aka, Pardes for makers, aka maker institute) where mid and post-college folks and any stage of life folks can learn Torah, collaboratively create things, and also participate in programming with the other amazing East Bay experiential Judaism and arts orgs + funded maker fellowship at the heart of the Institute where artists and educators can make things that will be sent into the world.
(Whew.)
I do wonder how all of this will come into being, but as dear friend and Atiq Creative Director Rachel Bickel affirmed last night, it's already being created, in a heimish punk rock sort of way. In the coming year I'll plan on sharing both what is materializing in real time, as well as a bit of behind the scenes re: how the pieces are being woven together. Whether you're interested in vibrant Jewish material culture as a source for meaning making, or whether you're just looking for some inspiration for getting your own dream project up and running, we'd love to have you along.