The Skirball Cultural Center will host a media preview Tuesday for three exhibitions exploring comic books, punk culture and Jewish life through contemporary art.
The preview, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, will showcase “Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution,” “Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976-86” and “Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time,” all organized by the Skirball Cultural Center.
“Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution” examines how comic books evolved into a major form of American popular culture.
“At its core are visionary creators,” organizers said in a statement. “Many of them were immigrants and outsiders who brought the perspectives of marginalized communities, including Jewish Americans, into the medium. Drawing on their experiences, they helped construct a vision of America defined by struggle, aspiration, and reinvention.”
“Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976-86” traces punk music scenes in New York, London, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., while highlighting the role Jewish musicians and artists played in shaping punk culture.
“The exhibition will highlight the stories of Jewish punks and fellow travelers including Richard Hell and Malcolm McLaren, plus members of the Ramones, the Circle Jerks, the Dictators, Bad Religion, Blondie, Suicide, Jonathan Richman, the Patti Smith Group, and more,” organizers said. “By centering these narratives within the broader story of punk, the exhibition underscores how artists from many communities helped shape a movement that continues to challenge norms around identity, power, and belonging.”
The exhibition includes more than 500 objects, including flyers, clothing, photographs and music memorabilia.
“Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time” features works by the Los Angeles-based married artists inspired by Jewish rituals, family gatherings and the Sabbath. Organizers said the exhibition explores themes of memory, tradition and identity through paintings and still lifes.
“Robert Russell’s luminous still lifes portray Jewish ritual objects — Kiddush cups and yahrzeit candles — removed from their context and histories,” according to the statement. “Painted in his signature soft-focus style, the works shimmer with beauty while resonating with absence. They prompt reflection on what is remembered, what is lost, and how cultural traditions endure.”
All three exhibitions are scheduled to open to the public Wednesday and will remain on display through September, with the comic book exhibition continuing into February 2027.
The Skirball Cultural Center describes itself as a gathering place inspired by Jewish traditions of welcoming others and by democratic ideals of freedom and equality, offering exhibitions and programs aimed at fostering cultural understanding and human connection.