Creators of the Mikvah Project

Janice Rubin is a Houston-based photographer and teacher. Originally from Fort Worth, she studied photography at Rice University from 1973-1977. Her work has been exhibited in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Her photographs are included in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as well as many private collections. She was the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Group Fellowship for her participation in the travelling exhibit "The Ties that Bind: Photographers Look At The American Family." Since 1976, her work has appeared in publications in the United States and Europe including Smithsonian, Newsweek, Town and Country, Fortune, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times. Her 1987 exhibition, "Survival of the Spirit: Jewish Lives in the Soviet Union" toured seventeen cities in the North America. She is also a musician and performing artist, specializing in Yiddish folk music. In 1995, she released her recording, "Feels Like Family" on the Heymish Music label. The Mikvah Project exhibition continues its thirty city tour of the U.S. and Europe through 2015. For more of Janice's work, please visit www.janicerubin.com.

Janice Rubin

Photographer

 

 
Leah Lax holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program. She has twice been awarded Artist’s Grants from the Cultural Arts Council of Houston. Leah has received several writing fellowships and was the winner of a national short story contest for Moment Magazine. Her short story, “Munya’s Story” was the inspiration for The Mikvah Project.

Leah Lax

Writer

 

 
Charles Wiese was born in Detroit, Michigan. He is the creative consultant for the Mikvah Project, responsible for exhibition design, graphic design, web design, and printing of the project. He spent twelve years in research science and engineering before earning his MFA in photography and computer imagery from the University of Houston. Charles is a recipient of a Cultural Arts Council of Houston/Harris County 1995 Visual Artist Award, a Core Fellowship Artist-in-Residence at the Museum of Fine Arts/Houston, and is a fellow of the American Photography Institute at NYU/Tisch School of Art. He has taught at the University of Houston and Rice University and operates Studio Polygonia in Houston. He is married to Janice Rubin and pictured with his son, Jacob. To see more of Charles' work, please visit www.charleswiese.com.

Charles Wiese

Creative Consultant