%1

Joel Silverstein’s paintings can be deadly serious and deeply funny, often at the same time. Immersed in comics from a young age and schooled in the pop art movement, Silverstein routinely smuggles comic book heroes and villains into paintings inspired by episodes from the Hebrew Bible and Jewish tradition. Superman somehow feels right at home in the company of less literal luftmenschen, like the prophet Isaiah and the great Jewish philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

Kreg Yingst’s diverse contemporary and historical interests converge in his work with block printing. Each of his affecting pieces includes an amalgam of quotes, portraiture, symbolism, and story—and each has a radiant musical quality. Over the years Yingst’s prints have explored contemplative figures (St. Francis, the Desert Fathers, the psalmists), advocates for justice (John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr.), and musicians (Delta blues artists, Aretha Franklin, Freddie Mercury). Yingst has an unusual ability to push this ancient form into the modern world of contemporary expression.