CV
MELISSA SHIFf (1967-2025)
A retrospective exhibition will be announced.
Artist & Research Associate: Sensorium Centre for Digital Art and Technology,
York University, Toronto, Canada
Professional Appointments
2015 - present
Research Associate: Sensorium Centre for Digital Art and Technology, York University
2011 - 2014
Assistant Professor for three-year term, Department of Art, University of Toronto
July 2011- June 2014
2008 - 2011
Adjunct Professor, Centre for Jewish Studies, University of Toronto
September 2008 - September 2011
Solo Exhibitions & Performances
2013
Mapping Ararat: An Imaginary Jewish Homelands Project
University of Toronto, Jackman Humanities Institute, Toronto, ON
Featured exhibition at the American Comparative Literature Association Annual International Conference
April 4-7
2011
The Medium is the Matzo
Concordia University, Montréal, QC
Sponsored by The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal
April 10 - May 4
2010
Cine Seder Roundtable
University of Toronto, Alumni Hall, Victoria College, Toronto, ON
March 23
2006 - 2007
ARK
Jewish Museum, Prague, CZ
Keynote Project for "The Year of Jewish Culture" in honour of the JMP's Centennial Celebration
September 13 - January 14
2006
Melissa Shiff: Reframing Ritual, Postmodern Jewish Wedding
Jewish Museum, Prague, CZ
April 5 - June 4
2005
The Medium is the Matzo: A Passover Installation
New York University, Bronfman Centre, New York, NY
April 8 - May 2
2004
Passover Projections
The Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York, NY
April 4
Elijah Chair
Goodkind Media Gallery, The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
February 6 - April 11
2003
Passover Projections - Slaves to Memory
The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
May 22
Chuppah in the Succah
Distillery Fermenting Room, Toronto, ON
October 12
2002
Times Square Seder
Chashama Arts Organization, New York, NY
March 30
Pink Ghetto
Grossman Gallery, School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston
February - March
1998
Pink Ghetto
Bad Girrrls Gallery, Jamaica Plain, MA
April - May
Group Exhibitions
2013
Golden Ghetto Exhibition
Center of Jewish Arts, Venice, IT
​
​
JAMS: Jewish Animated Mandala Series
May 19 - 29
2012
Where To?
Mapping Ararat, collaborative project with John Craig Freeman and Louis Kaplan
Israeli Center for Digital Art, Holon, IL
April 10 - May 4
​
​
Jewish Homegrown Histories
JAMS: Jewish Animated Mandala Series
Skirball Museum, Los Angeles, CA
March 29 - September 2
​
​
With This Ring: Jewish Wedding Ceremonies in Contemporary Art
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
Corinne Maman Museum, Ashdod, IL
December 30, 2011 - July 18
2011
With This Ring: Jewish Wedding Ceremonies in Contemporary Art
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
Corinne Maman Museum, Ma'alot-Tarshiha, IL
September 21 - November 11
​
​
Spin Off: Contemporary Art Circling the Mandala
JAMS: Jewish Animated Mandala Series
Koffler Center of the Arts, Toronto, ON
September 22 - December 4
2010
With This Ring: Jewish Wedding Ceremonies in Contemporary Art
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
Beth Hatefustoth (Museum of the Jewish People), Tel Aviv, IL
February 25 - April 12
2009
Judaica Twist
JAMS: Jewish Animated Mandala Series
Beth Hatefustoth (Museum of the Jewish People), Tel Aviv, IL
December 31 - March 31, 2010
Kol Ishah, In Her Voice
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
Emet Gallery, Montréal, QC
March 25 - September 27
​
​
The Dorothy Saxe Invitational: Artists Reinterpret the Seder Plate
Cine Seder Plate
Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco, CA
March 1 - May 31
2008
Off the Wall: Artists at Work
JAMS: Jewish Animated Mandala Series
The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
March 16 - March 27
​
​
Repairing the World: Contemporary Ritual Art
Elijah Chair
The Jewish Museum, New York, NY
October 1 - March 16
2007
Nuit Blanche
Iconoclash
Grange Park, Toronto, ON
September 22
​
TerGloba
Crush Oppression Project
Oakland University Art Gallery, Rochester, MI
March 10 - April 15
2005
Command-J: Jewish Laws, Digital Arts
Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife
Rejewvenation Conference at the University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
October 21 - November 20
2000
Distinguishing/Distinguished Jewish
Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife
Starr Gallery, Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, Newton, MA
December 13, 1999 - February 20
​
Dream Imprints
Tufts Gallery, Aidekman Arts Center, Medford, MA
February 5 - March 10
1999
Dream Imprints
Grossman Gallery, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
June 1 - June 30
Video Screenings
2016
University of Toronto
Mapping Ararat
Toronto, ON
March 31​
​
Limmud Festival of Jewish Learning
Mapping Ararat
Birmingham, UK
March 6
2015
University of Toronto
Mapping Ararat
Toronto, ON
October 29​
​
York University
Mapping Ararat
North York, ON
May 12​​
2014
Rutgers University
Mapping Ararat
New Brunswick, NJ
May 13
​
University of Miami
Mapping Ararat
Miami, FL
April 17
​
Columbia University
Mapping Ararat
New York, NY
March 25
2013
Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference
Mapping Ararat
Boston, MA
December 16
​
HASTAC at York University
Mapping Ararat
North York, ON
April 28
​
Harvard Humanities Center Workshop
Mapping Ararat
Cambridge, MA
April 6
​
American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA) at University of Toronto
Mapping Ararat
Toronto, ON
April 5
2012
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Mapping Ararat
Oshawa, ON
December 3
Function Keys Conference of New Technology and Digital Culture
Mapping Ararat
Hamilton, ON
November 4​​
2011
Holocaust Education Week at Oraynu, Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
ARK
Toronto, ON
November 3​
2010
Munk School of Global Affairs at University of Toronto
ARK
Toronto, ON
September 20
​
22nd International Sculpture Conference
ARK
London, UK
April 9
2009
Association for Jewish Studies Conference
ARK and JAMS
Los Angeles, CA
December 21
​
York University
ARK and JAMS
North York, ON
June 15
2008
Center for Religion and Media at New York University
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
New York, NY
April 13
​
Digifest at Design Exchange
ARK
Toronto, ON
March 29
2007
Limmud Festival at University of Coventry
ARK, Postmodern Jewish Wedding, and Times Square Seder
Warwick, UK
December 23
2007
Limmud Festival at University of Coventry
ARK, Postmodern Jewish Wedding, and Times Square Seder
Warwick, UK
December 23
2006
Limmud Festival of Jewish Learning New York
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
Monticello, NY
January 15
2005
National Museum of Photography, Television and Film
Looking for Ararat
Bradford England
July 2
​
Seattle Jewish Film Festival U.S.A
Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding
Seattle, WA
March 15
2004
Argentina Jewish Film Festival
Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding
Buenos Aires
November 4, 7, 10
​
Alley-Jaunt Festival
Looking For Ararat
Toronto, Canada
August 22
​​
Toronto Jewish Film Festival
Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding
May 9
​
New York University
Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding
New York, NY.
May 7
2002
Diasporic Art and Culture – York University Advanced Research Centre
Looking for Ararat
Toronto, Canada
April 24
​
The Society For Photographic Education
L’Chaim Las Vegas
March 23
​
Humanities at Noon - University of Toronto Mississauga
L’Chaim Las Vegas
Toronto, ON
November 27
2001
Oraynu - Organizatiion for Secular Humanist Judaism
​Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife
Toronto, ON
March 24
Web Projects
2015 - Present
Imaginary Jewish Homelands (forthcoming)
Funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant
​
​
2011 - 2022
Mapping Ararat website
Funded by a SSHRC Insight Development Grant
2005 - Present
Modiya - New York University, selected as featured artist to present projects
The Medium is the Matzo and Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding
2003 - 2012
Looking for Ararat Webvideo
Website for Jewish culture ​
Grants, Honours, and Awards
2015 - 2020
SSHRC Insight Grant
The Imaginary Jewish Homelands of I.N. Steinberg: An Augmented Reality Project
Primary Investigator
Award: $308,539.00. Ranked 3rd in its pool of 44 applicants.
2016
Dreidle Books
Jewish Museum of Frankfurt
Closed competition for permanent sculpture for new entrance courtyard of Museum.
Shiff was one of 5 artists chosen and placed 2nd in the competition.
2013
Submitted application for SSHRC
Insight Grant Competition October 2013 as Primary Investigator
with Professors Louis Kaplan co-applicant (DVS, UofT Mississauga),
Brian Sutherland (BMC, Toronto), Henry Duh (University of Tasmania),
and Adam Rovner (University of Denver) for
“The Imaginary Jewish Homelands of I.N. Steinberg: An Augmented Reality Project.”
Result: Recommended for Funding, No Award Due to Limited Resources.
2011 - 2014
SSHRC Insight Development Grant
Mapping Ararat: An Imaginary Jewish Homelands Project
Primary Investigator.
Award: $61,043.00. Ranked 2nd in its pool of 34 applicants.
2010
The Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal
Awarded $26,000.00 to install the The Medium is the Matzo at Concordia University, Montreal
During Passover 2011
2009
Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
Honorable Mention: The Dorothy Saxe Award for Creativity in Contemporary Arts
For Cine-Seder Plate: The Six Questions
​
​
2007
Shortlisted: City of Toronto Permanent Public Art Project: Fort York/
Original Lake Ontario Shoreline Commission
​
​
2005
Toronto Arts Council Media Arts Grant
for the creation of Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife
​
United Jewish Appeal Federation Grant
for the video installation Ten Plagues Pillow Project
2002 - 2003
Invited Member of the Mosaica Seminar “Toward a New Diaspora”
York University (convened by Professors Carol Zemel, Shelley Hornstein, and Reesa Greenberg).
Print and Online Reviews
2014
The Forward, New York “Eretz Niagara Falls”
Video feature edited by Martyna Starosta for a feature report on
Mapping Ararat project in Forward online edition.
https://forward.com/opinion/198027/eretz-niagara-falls/
​
The Canadian Jewish News
Bill Gladstone, Re-imagining a Jewish Homeland in New York. p. 50.
April 3, 2014
University of Miami News
Raymond Mathews, “Imagined Jewish Homeland in New York,”
April 18, 2014
​
​
2013
Ha’aretz, (Israel)
David S. Green This day in Jewish history/A Refuge for persecuted Jews is founded – almost
Online edition: http://www.haaretz.com/news/features/this-day-in-jewish-history/.premium-1.547025
Sept. 15, 2013
​
The Walrus (Canada)
Stephen Struass Virtual Homeland: Reimagining the Jewish State that never was, in Grand Island New York https://thewalrus.ca/virtual-homeland/
July-August, 2013
2012
The Forward (New York)
Renee Ghert-Zand A Jewish “Refuge” Virtually Recreated
April 25, 2012
2011
La Presse (Montreal)
Jean- Christophe Laurence Le judaïsme sur la table de mixage
April 18, 2011
​
The National Post (Canada)
Bill Brownstein Cracker Shack
April 7, 2011
​
Edmonton Journal
Bill Brownstein Cracker Shack
April 7, 2011
​
The Vancouver Sun
Bill Brownstein Cracker Shack
April 6, 2011
​
The Montreal Gazette
Bill Brownstein The Medium is the Matzo: Building a show and a house out of Matzo
April 6, 2011
​
2009
Canadian Jewish News
Heather Solomon Kol Ishah amplifies voice of Jewish women through art
March 21, 2009
2007
2006
DNES Mlada Fronta (Prague)
Vladimira Sumberova, ARCHA Promlouva k liidem
October 7, 2006
​
The Prague Post (Prague)
Mimi Fronczak Rogers Ship of Memories: Melissa Shiff’s video ark is a Jewish Museum centennial highlight
September 13-19, 2006
​
Lidove Noviny (Prague)
September 16, 2006
​
The Forward (New York)
Dinah Spritzer Video Artist Present a Reinterpretation of Scripture
May 12, 2006
​
The Prague Post (Czech Republic)
Tony Ozuna Revisiting Ritual, The Jewish Wedding, Past, Present and Postmodern
April 26, 2006
​
Jewschool
Dan Sieradski JAP: Shopping for Social Justice
www.jewschool.com/?p=10343#motr-10343
April 24, 2006
2005
Jewschool
Dan Sieradski "Command J: Innovative Jewish Art for the 21st Century”
November 4, 2005
​
The Varsity (University of Toronto)
Nicole Lavigne, “Making It Jew: Mini-Fest Explores Judaism’s Future”
October 27, 2005
​
Daily Kos
Jeffrey Feldman, “Matzo Ball Activism”
May 1, 2005
​
The Globe and Mail, Canada
Simon Houpt, “Read Your Matzo It’s Good For You”
April 30, 2005
​
Jewschool
Douglas Rushkoff, “Crush Oppression”
April 21, 2005
2004
​C Magazine
Scott Myers, review of ‘Elijah Chair’ special exhibition at The Jewish Museum, NY.
Spring Issue, 2004
​
Hadassah Magazine
review of ‘Elijah Chair’ special exhibition at The Jewish Museum, NY.
Spring Issue, 2004
2000
Boston Globe
Christine Temin, Review of “Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife”
January 26, 2000
​
Boston Phoenix
Christopher Millis, Review of “Gender Cuts/ The Jew Under the Knife”
January 24, 2000
Media Coverage
2014
Jewniverse
Sarah Zarrow “Discover the Promised Land… in Lake Erie”
(April 4, 2014)
​
​
2013
Jewish Art Now
“Augmented Reality of a Lost Jewish Land: Mapping Ararat”,
http://www.jewishartnow.com/2013/06/10/mapping-ararat/
June 10, 2013
​
Imaginary Atlas
"An Imaginary Jewish Homeland,”
May 13, 2013
​
Technology Blogger
Jonny Hankins “Augmented Reality Art,”
http://www.technologybloggers.org/media/augmented-reality-art/
May 13, 2013
​
2011
The Jewish Daily Forward
7 minute piece on JAMS- Jewish Animated Mandala Series
Video Interview by arts editor Dan Friedman
November 29, 2011
​
Joint Media News Service
“Jewish Scholarship and Technology ‘Join Hands’,” Sarah Kamaris
November 18, 2011
​
Radio Canada International
13 minute segment on The Medium is the Matzo by Carmel Kilkenny
April 22, 2011
​
CBC Radio 1, Daybreak
Report by Pierrre Landry on The Medium is the Matzo
April 16, 2011
​
CTV, 6 o’clock news- What’s On with Christine Long
Segment on: The Medium is the Matzo
April 15th, 2011
​
Radio Centreville: Jewish Digest Interview by Leslie Lutsky,
13 minute segment on The Medium is the Matzo
April 9, 2011
​
CBC TV 6 o’clock news, Arts Report
Segment on: The Medium is the Matzo
April 8th, 2011
​
She Does the City (web)
Matzo Fast! Matzo Tunnel and Socalled Seder among the highlights of Melissa Shiff’s
“The Medium Is the Matzo” at Concordia
http://www.shedoesthecity.com/melissa_shiff
April 8, 2011
​
Montreal Mirror
Chris Barry "Matzo is the Message"
April 7th, 2011
​
CKUT Radio
Shtetl on The Shortwave
15 minute interview about The Medium is the Matzo with host Tamarar Kramer
April 1, 2011
​
Canadian Jewish News
Janice Arnold, Matzo is the Medium for Melissa Shiff
March 31, 2011
​
Jews God and Videotape: Religion and Media in America
Author Jeffrey Shandler, Cover image, Melissa Shiff: The Medium is the Matzo
2009
The Chronicle
In Her Voice: Reclaiming Jewish Marriage Rituals
March 18, 2009
2008
The Olympian Olympia Washington
Lisa Pemberton "Artists chat about creativity, Speakers set to inspire students at Evergreen”
February 2, 2008
2007
Art Crawl
Chelly Persad, "On Melissa Shiff’s Iconoclash"
http://artcrawl-chellypersad.blogspot.com/
October 3, 2007
​
Toronto Star “Night of the Living Arts”
Deborah Black, "On Shiff’s Iconoclash"
September 30, 2007
2006
Reflex (Prague)
Barbora Klimova
October 2006
​
The Prague Post (Prague)
Cover Image- Night and Day Section
September 13-19, 2006
​
Ros Chodes (Prague),
Cover Image issue #68, journal for Jewish thought
October 2006
​
Metro (Prague newspaper)
“Realita, Ci iluze? ARCHA”
September 14, 2006
​
Expres (Prague newspaper),
“Archa jako symbol historie”,
September 14, 2006
​
Sip (Prague newspaper)
“Archa zakotvila v ulicich Prahy”
September 14, 2006
​
Kosmopolis—Czech TV
feature on Reframing Ritual: Postmodern Jewish Wedding
July, 2006
​
Jewish Telegraph Agency
Syndicated Article in Jewish Newspapers around the world
“Jewish artist reworks Bible’s “offensive” bits in wedding video” by Dinah Spritzer
May 1, 2006
​
Interview with Keith Jones artistic director of MOFFOM film festival Prague
April 19 2006
​
“Zwei Ausstellungen uber Hochzeitszeremonien finden im Judischen Museum in Prag statt”
by Martina Schneibergova
April 14, 2006
​
“Melissa Shiff’s Postmoderne judische Hochzeit in der Spanischen Synagoge”
by Maritna Schneibergova
April 16, 2006
​
Daily Jews
“ALT. Jewish Shopping” by Leslie Bunder
April 5, 2006
​
Zeek: A Jewish Journal of Online Culture
Cover Image, The Medium is the Matzo
April, 2006
​
“Canadian multi-media installation in Prague’s Spanish Synagogue”,
2005
Toronto, Canada, Interview with Cheri De Novo
on The Radical Reverend Show
November 2005
​
Canadian Jewish News
“The Matzo is the Message for artist Melissa Shiff” by Cynthia Gasner
October 20, 2005
2004
Songlines (London, UK)
“Toronto Hip Hop Khupe” Feature article by Sophie Solomon.
March, 2004
​
Canadian Jewish News
“Toronto Artist Turns Elijah’s Chair into Video Art, Wedding Canopy into Movie Screen” by Bill Gladstone
February 26, 2004
2002
Forward, NY, NY
Feature Article about “Times Square Seder”,
March 22, 2002
​
The Jewish Week NY. NY.
Daniel Belasco, Feature Article about “Times Square Seder”
March 29, 2002
​
Village Voice NY. NY
listing of “Times Square Seder”
March 23, 2002
Exhibition Catalogues
2012
Where To?
Mapping Ararat Published by Israeli Center for Digital Art
Written by Udi Edelman, Eyal Danon, Ran Kasmy-Ilan
​
2010
Beit Hatfutsot, Tel Aviv Israel
With This Ring: Jewish Wedding Ceremonies in Contemporary Art
Postmodern Jewish Wedding
​
2008
San Francisco: Contemporary Jewish Museum
New Works, Old Story: 80 Artists at the Passover Table
Cine-Seder Plate
​
2006
Melissa Shiff: ARK,
This catalogue was made possible by the generous support of the Canadian Embassy in Prague
​
2005
Melissa Shiff: Reframing Ritual / Promena Ritualu,
This catalogue was made possible by the generous support of the Canadian Embassy in Prague
​
Command J: Jewish Laws Digital Arts
published as part of the University of Toronto conference ReJewvenation: The Futures of Jewish Culture, this catalogue was created through the generous support of the Toronto Arts Council and the Ontario Arts Council
Invited Talks, Lectures and Panels
2016
University of Toronto“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,”in Professor Andrea Most’s “Mapping Jewish Identity”Course, University of Toronto
March 31, 2016
​
​Limmud Festival of Jewish Learning"Mapping Ararat and Imaginary Jewish Homelands"
Toronto
March 6, 2016
​University of Toronto“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,”in Professor Anna Shternsis “Diaspora” Course,
University of Toronto
February 25, 2016
​University of Toronto“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,” in Professor Louis Kaplan’s “Augmented Reality Art” Course, University of Toronto
February 24, 2016
​
​York University“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,” at Robin Ostow’s “Jewish Museums, Identity, and Public Memory” Course York University,
Toronto
January 25, 2016
​
​College Art Association annual meeting“Mapping Ararat and Beyond: Augmented Reality Walking Tours for Imagined Jewish Homelands”Digital Cultural Heritage as Public Humanities Collaboration, Roundtable Invited by Professor Victoria Szabo, Duke University
Washing D.C,
February 4, 2016
2015
University of Toronto
“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,”
at Louis Kaplan’s “Augmented Reality Art” Graduate Seminar University of Toronto Toronto, ON
October, 29, 2015
​
York University Summer Institute
Sites and Sights: Memory Monuments and Place After the Digital Turn Invited by Professor Shelley Hornstein, “Mapping Ararat: Augmented Reality and the Site Specific Digital Monument” \York University
Toronto, ON
May 12, 2015
2014
Rutgers University
“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,”
Keynote Presentation at “Contested Memories and the Contours of the Past” Conference,
Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ.
May 13, 2014
​
University of Miami
“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,”
Departments of Art and Art History, History, and Judaic Studies
at University of Miami
Coral Gables, Florida
April 17, 2014
​
Columbia University
“Mapping Ararat: Remembering an Imaginary Jewish Homeland,” (with Louis Kaplan) at the Cultural Memory University Seminar, Columbia University Invited by Professors Marianne Hirsch and Andreas Huyssen.
New York. NY.
March 25, 2014
​
Center for Jewish History
“Mapping Ararat: Reanimating History,“ From the Archives: Transforming Scholarship into Public History,”
The Center for Jewish History and Yeshiva University Museum
New York. NY.
January 29, 2014
2013
Association for Jewish Studies Annual Meeting
“Mapping Ararat: An Imaginary Jewish Homelands Project”,
Performance/Analysis Presentation by Louis Kaplan and Melissa Shiff
and Roundtable Discussion with Professors Shelley Hornstein, Jeffrey Shandler,
Todd Presner, and Jennifer Glaser
Boston, MA,
December 16, 2013
​
HASTAC
“Ararat’s Augmented World: Screen Plays for a Mobile Homeland”
Panel on Mapping Ararat at HASTAC 2013, York University, with Louis Kaplan, Shelley Hornstein, and Janine Marchessault (chair)
Toronto, ON
April 28, 2013
​
University of Buffalo
“Mapping Ararat: Augmented Reality Walking Tours,” with Louis Kaplan and John Craig Freeman,
Invited by Humanities Institute and Department of Visual Studies
Professors Elizabeth Otto and Stephanie Rothenberg
Buffalo. MA
April 18, 2013
​
Harvard Humanities Center Workshop
"Mapping Ararat: Augmented Reality and the Charting of an Imaginary Jewish Homeland”
at the Workshop “Mining Imagination: Ethnographic Approaches beyond Knowledge Production,”
Michaela Schaeuble (organizer), Lisa Cartwright, Andrew Irving, Paul Stoller, Kathryn Ramey).
Mahindra Humanities Center, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass.
April 6, 2013
​
University of Toronto, ACLA, American Comparative Literature Association
Plenary Session: “Mapping Ararat: Augmented Reality and the Charting of an Imaginary Jewish Homeland” (with Louis Kaplan)
Toronto, ON
April 5, 2013
​
Palo Alto Feast of Jewish Learning
Melissa Shiff in conversation with journalist Renee Ghert-Zand
January 26, 2013
2012
University of Ontario Institute of Technology
“Augmented Reality and Grand Island’s Jewish Ghosts,”
Inaugural Research Lecture of the CRC in Digital Life, Media, and Culture (at the Invitation of Prof. Isabel Pederson),
Oshawa, ON
December 3, 2012
​
Function Keys Conference of New Technology and Digital Culture, Centre 3 for Print and Media Arts,
“Augmented Reality and Grand Island’s Jewish Ghosts” with Louis Kaplan
Hamilton, Ontario.
November 4, 2012
​
University of Toronto, OARN Ontario Augmented Reality Network
“Mapping Ararat: Research on the border of history and the imaginary”
Toronto, ON
October 5th, 2012
​
University of Toronto. Centre for Jewish Studies, and Jackman Humanities Institute
“Mapping Ararat: Envisioning a Virtual Jewish Homeland” (with Louis Kaplan and John Craig Freeman)
as part of “Reanimating Ararat: Two Perspectives on Mordecai Noah’s Jewish Homeland,”
with Professor Adam Rovner (University of Denver), sponsored by Dept. of Visual Studies (UTM),
Toronto, ON
April 16, 2012
​
​
​
2011
Center for Jewish History
Digital Demonstration “Mapping Ararat” Conference: Access to Integration:
Digital Technologies and the Study of Jewish History
New York, NY
November 9-10, 2011
​
Holocaust Education Week, Oraynu, Congregation for Humanistic Judaism
“The ARK and Accountability”,
Toronto, ON
November 3, 2011
2010
University of Toronto, Munk School of Global Affairs,
"ARK: Restaging the Jewish Museum in Prague" Symposium: Restaging Jewish Modernity
Toronto, ON.
Sept. 20, 2010
​
22nd International Sculpture Conference
“The Multiple Languages of ARK”
London, UK.
April 9, 2010
2009
Association for Jewish Studies Conference, Los Angeles
“ARK Salvage and JAMS Preserve”
Dec 21, 2009
​
York University
“ARK Salvage and JAMS Preserve” at Robin Ostow’s “Jewish Museums, Identity, and Public Memory” Course
Toronto, ON.
June 15, 2009
​
Kol Ishah, in Her Voice Panel: Gallery Emet
May 5, 2009
​
Fairfield University “Confessions of a Practicing Jewish Artist,”
Second biannual endowed Samuel and Bettie Roberts Lecture in Jewish Art,
April 23, 2009
​
Council of American Jewish Museum’s Conference
Panel: Collection as spectacle: New Display Strategies
New York, NY
Feb 2, 2009
2008
​​​Downtown Jewish Dayschool JCC Toronto
Panel: Alternative Jewish Identities
Nov. 24, 2008
​
San Jose State University, “The ARK of Melissa Shiff’s Art” artist talk, (April 1, 2008)
DigiFest- Design Exchange “The Archive in the Deluge”,
Toronto, panel discussion
March 29, 2008
​
Evergreen College
“The ARK of Melissa Shiff’s Art”, artist talk
February 26, 2008
2007
​​​​​Limmud UK, three artist talks and one workshop
December 23-27, 2007
​
Association of Jewish Studies Conference, paper on Shiff’s Work
December 16, 2007
​
TerGloba artist panel, presentation of Crush Oppression Project,
Oakland University Art Gallery
March 9, 2007
​
Council of American Jewish Museum’s plenary: 21st Century Audiences,
presentation of ARK and Medium is the Matzo, Toronto
January 22, 2007
2006
​​​University of Toronto, presentation of ARK (Professor John Paul Ricco)
Dept. of Art History
December 8, 2006
​
Israel Today, one hour television interview with host Howard Adelman.
Projects covered: “Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding, “Times Square Seder” and “The Medium is the Matzo”, October 15, 2006
​
Limmud NY Conference, artist talk, workshop and panelist
January 11-- 14, 2006
2005
XPACE, Toronto, artist talk
“Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife”,
November 13, 2005
​
University of Toronto, roundtable discussion:
“The Futures of Jewish Ritual” at The Futures of Jewish Culture conference,
October 28, 2005
​
New York University, presentation of “The Medium is the Matzo” to Modiya Jewish
working group New York University scholars
May 3, 2005
​
New York University, artist talk—presentation of “The Medium is the Matzo”
Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life
April 27, 2005
​
University of Toronto, artist talk—presentation of selected works Jewish Culture Seminar,
Professor Andrea Most, Department of Jewish Studies
March 22, 2005
2004
Limmud Canada, presentation of “Times Square Seder” and “Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding”
York University Toronto
November 21, 2004
​
Ashkenaz Festival of New Yiddish Culture, presentation of “Times Square Seder” and
“Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding”
September 6, 2004
​
New York University, presentation with Louis Kaplan on ‘Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding’
at conference Religious Witness: The Intimate, The Everyday, The World.
May 7 2004
​
The Jewish Museum, artist talk to staff and docents on ‘Times Square Seder” and
“Avant-Garde Jewish Wedding.
February 25, 2004
2003
UJA Federation, presentation of “Times Square Seder” and future Seder project “Tent Seder”,
Lipa Green
June 18, 2003
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Sketch, a not-for profit artist centre for street youth, Artist Talk
June 4, 2003
2002
​​​Sheridan College,
Artist Talk, Presentation of body of work
Oct 24, 2002
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Brandeis University.
Public Lecture Times Square Seder. History of Video Art
(Professor Pamela Allara) Dept of Art History
April 25, 2002
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Southern Illinois, presentation of installation work, Contemporary Art Issues
(Professor Peter Chametsky) Dept. of Art and Design.
Carbondale Illinois
February 2002
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Critical Essays and Lectures on Shiff's Work
Louis Kaplan and Melissa Shiff "Mapping Ararat: An Augmented Reality Walking Tour for an Imaginary Jewish Homeland" in Anthrovision Vaneasa (Visual Anthropology Network of European Association of Social Anthropologists) Online Journal.
file:///Users/melissashiff/Downloads/anthrovision-2339%20(1).pdf
April 2 2016
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2013
2016
Louis Kaplan “Mapping Ararat: Augmented Reality and the Imagining of a Jewish Homeland,”
to be included in special issue edited by Dr. Michaela Schauble
on the “Mining Imagination” workshop at the Harvard Humanities Center.
Projected Essay Length: 5000 words plus digital media clips.
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Marie-Laure Ryan, section on Mapping Ararat in keynote lecture
“Transmedia Storytelling: Myth or Reality?” at “Rethinking Intermediality in the Digital Age”
organized by the INternation Society for Inermedia Studies (ISIS), Sapientia Hungarian University of
Transylvania, Clug Napoca, Romania,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqFsg8zqcLA
October 24-26 2013
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Carol Zemel (York University) “In the Mosaic: Jewish Identities in Canadian Performance and Installation Art,” in Canadian Theatre Review 153
Winter 2013
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Belarie Zatzman and Laura Levin,
“Jewish Performance in Canada” in Special Issue on Jewish Theatre in Canadian Theatre Review 153
(University of Toronto Press, Winter 2013): 5. (Includes discussion and four video clips).
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Louis Kaplan, “Mapping Ararat: Augmented Reality,
Virtual Tourism and Grand Island’s Jewish Ghosts,”
in C/R: The New Centennial Review, Vol. 13, No. 2 (2013), 239-264
Fall 2013
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Shelley Hornstein (York University), “Augments & Ararat: Architecture, mobility and homeland”
2013 European Architectural History Network (EAHN) Conference:
Architectural Electives Affinities: Transfers, Correspondences, Inter/multidisciplinarity,
University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
March 2013.
2012
2011
Shelley Hornstein (York University),
“Ararat: Mobility and Reverse Diaspora in the Sentient City,” on “Augmented Reality and Cultural Heritage” Panel at The 9th Jerusalem Conference on the Digitisation of Cultural Heritage,
Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Jerusalem, Israel
November 13, 2012​​​
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Raz Samira, With This Ring: Jewish Wedding Ceremonies in Contemporary Art”
(Tel Aviv, Israel: Beit Hatfutsot, 2011) p. 59.
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Ori Soltes, “Memory, Questions and Definitions: Images of Old and New Rites of Passage” in Leonard Greenspoon’s Rites of Passage: How Today's Jews Celebrate, Commemorate, and Commiserate Analysis of Shiff’s work: Postmodern Jewish Wedding, pp. 104-107
2009
​​​​​​​​Linda Safran, “The Art of Passover,” Lecture at the St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo.
Reviewed in Mirko Petricevic The Record
April 4, 2009
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Jeffrey Shandler, Jews God and Videotape: Religion and Media in America
(New York: New York University Press, 2009), pp. 172-174
2007
​​Vanessa Ochs, “A Traditional Table, Set for Innovation,” in "New Works/Old Story: 80 Artists at the Seder Table"
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“The Art of Melissa Shiff and Hanah Iverson” by Professor Susan Chevlowe, “Nashim”,
5000 word essay
December, 2007
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Association of Jewish Studies Annual Meeting, “Displaying Judaica: Secularizing the Sacred”
paper by Reesa Greenberg, Concordia University/York University, on panel: Jewish Museum’s and Displays: New Directions, Obstacles, and Opportunities,
Toronto
December 16, 2007
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A Celebration of Jewish Studies in Ottawa, International Conference
“Mobile Monuments: War Imagery in the Art of Vera Frenkel, Susan Hiller, and Melissa Shiff”
Reesa Greenberg, Concordia University/York University
October 24-25, 2007
2006
​​​​Heather Diack “Activating Exodus Through Continuous Critique:
The Art of Melissa Shiff”, “After Image”, 3000 word essay
July/August 2006
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Louis Kaplan “Distinguishing/Distinguished Jewish” catalogue essay.
Analysis of Gender Cuts/The Jew Under the Knife
2002
​​​​Rabbi Arthur Waskow
‘Melissa Shiff’s New Passover Paradigm’, Shalom Centre News Letter Also translated into German
April 2002
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Collections
2004
Gender Cuts/The Jew Under The Knife
nominated for acquisition by The Jewish Museum,
May, 2004
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2003
2002
2005
Elijah Chair Acquired by The Jewish Museum, NY.
May 22, 2003
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Passover Projections nominated for acquisition by The Jewish Museum.
May 22, 2003