Building a New Future
This proposal takes the existing museum experience and builds on it, expands it, and increases the stories and cultural interpretation from its present form to be interactive, sensory, immersive, and world-class. The JMB invites the wider community to experience the masterful architecture of Max Abramovitz and the artistic genius of Ben Shahn, nestled within the sanctuary of TBZ. By illuminating the stories of Jewish life in Buffalo and celebrating global Jewish culture, art, and architecture, we serve as a vital community connector; fostering dialogue and forge lasting alliances throughout Western New York and beyond. Come for the sanctuary, stay for the stories.
Founded in 1978 as the Cofeld Judaic Museum, the institution underwent a significant transformation in 2023 and is now relaunching as the Jewish Museum of Buffalo.
The core mission of the newly imagined JMB is to illuminate the rich history, culture, art, and architecture of Jewish Buffalo and the wider global Jewish experience. The Cofeld Judaic Museum collection features artifacts and stories, from the earliest congregations in Buffalo to contemporary community life, offering powerful antidotes to antisemitism by fostering dialogue and understanding across Western New York. In the past two years, over 7000 visitors and 90 unique groups have visited the museum.
Museum Layout
The visitor experience is distributed in various areas within Temple Beth Zion identified here. The tour programming takes this into consideration in the crafting of the interpretive experience.
Entrance & Greeting Room
The primary entrance is at the south end of the building with designated parking with for easy access. Signage will be installed on Delaware Ave. and Linwood Ave. and outside the door identify the museum. Upon entering there is a greeting room to the left. Going straight there are exhibit panels on the left and right walls. These provide some background and context for JMB.
Hallway Gallery
In the hallway connecting the meeting room and the East and West galleries there is an gallery of artwork by well-known mid-century artists. The Temple Beth Zion art collection represents both Buffalo based and internationally recognized artists working in a number of mediums and styles. The collection emerged as a major collecting focus of the formal art committee in the 1980s, with the collection growing in scope over the years.
East Gallery
Building on what exists we propose adding a large “C” shaped structure in the center of the gallery. This create various areas for interpretive components both inside and out of the “C”.
West Gallery
The West Gallery tells the story of the Jewish Community & Contributions. Through a series of interpretive panels, artifact cases and multimedia we explore the history. An interactive map will show you the various Jewish neighborhoods that grew in the city and greater western New York region. Stories about strength and resilience will be sprinkled in with statistics and general information. We will also explore themes of Buffalo and the city’s response to World War Two.
Sanctuary Gallery
In the west entrance of the sanctuary is an under-utilized space that we want to transform into an exhibit environment focused on the architectural contributions of Ben Shahn and Max Abromovitch. Already a destination for architectural students and aficionados, we will build on that and tell a larger and more expansive story.
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