Part display, part urban monument, this modest pavilion housing Sara Berman’s closet was part of a recent exhibition at the National Museum of American Jewish History. “Sara Berman’s Closet, a small and monumental story, is a powerful and intimate exploration of independence, identity, feminism, family, time, immigration, memory, joy, and courage. It speaks to the universal pursuit of meaning and beauty, from the monumental to the mundane.”The pavilion housed a fastidious and personal closet that celebrates the stories that everyday belongings carry and their ability to personally connect us to other people and moments in time. Positioned adjacent to Independence Mall, the pavilion placed Sara’s personal items in the context of the symbolic beginnings of American independence and identity. The pavilion served as an introduction to an exhibit housed within the museum, covering Sara’s journey from Belarus to Israel to New York, told through original paintings, text, and ephemera.
