Sidney Chafetz
American, 1922 - 2013
"Sidney Chafetz 1922-2013: Printmaker expressed beliefs through art"
By Allison Ward
Printmaker Sidney Chafetz felt art could change the way people think.
And, if his often satirical prints about politics, education and literature changed the way people thought, they could change the way people behaved.
During a career that spanned almost seven decades, Chafetz influenced many: those who viewed his art, his students at Ohio State University and those he met in the Central Ohio art community.
"He had very strong beliefs of being aware and critical of issues of power," said Sergio Soave, chair of the Ohio State Department of Art. "His work was funny and compelling but had a serious subject matter."
Services for Chafetz, who died Saturday at the age of 90, will be held at noon Tuesday at Epstein Memorial Chapel, 3232 E. Main St.
Born March 27, 1922, in Providence, R.I., Chafetz enrolled in the Rhode Island School of Art and Design in 1940. His schooling was put on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army.
After recovering from an injury suffered at the Battle of the Bulge, he returned to school and graduated in 1947. He then studied at L'Ecole Americaine des Beaux-Arts in France.
In 1948, he arrived at Ohio State.
Chafetz helped establish the university's printmaking program, which became one of the top programs in the country. He retired in 1982 to focus on his own work and was named professor emeritus.
Sherrie Hawk, owner of Sherrie Gallerie in the Short North, said she didn't fully understand printmaking until she met Chafetz.
"He educated the public about the art form of printmaking and how original, unique each piece is," said Hawk, who has represented Chafetz's work for 10 years. "People that wouldn't be aware of his work, not know him at all, would just walk off the street into the gallery and get it."
In his wood or metal prints, Chafetz often celebrated his Jewish American heritage and his love of poetry - or expressed political outrage. His "Perpetrators" series depicts those responsible for the Holocaust.
Despite his often serious subjects, Chafetz was fun to be around, said Dennison Griffith, president of Columbus College of Art & Design.
"He could skewer the people who needed it and do it with a twinkle in his eye," Griffith said. "For all the social and political criticism that came out of his work, he wasn't a cynic."
Chafetz received the Ohio Arts Council's Governor's Award in 1991.
His prints are held in museums across the country. He designated the Columbus Museum of Art as a major repository for his work and papers, said Nannette V. Maciejunes, executive director.
"He used his artistic power to expose our shortcomings and push us to be our best selves," Maciejunes said.
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