Ma’ayanot’s 10th grade art instructor, Ksenija Pecaric, is being recognized with exhibitions at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Store gallery (October 28-November 4) and the Salmagundi Art Club in Greenwich Village (October 24-November 4). Pecaric, who has been teaching art and photography courses at Ma’ayanot since 2018, is a member of the Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA), which has selective membership based on artistic achievement. The exhibitions feature curated work from many SAGA members.

Among her many areas of creative expertise, Pecaric is a printmaker. She uses a modified woodcut method, which entails carving a surface, creating a print, and then adding embellishments, such as gold, in the style of illuminated manuscripts. In creating her prints, Pecaric tries “to combine the meaning of the word with the beautiful shapes of the Hebrew letters.”

Born in the former Yugoslavia, Pecaric attended a competitive arts high school with a focus on graphic design. She also credits her mother for the fundamentals of her art and photography education; both her mother and brother are also artists. Due to the conflict in the 90s, Pecaric left Yugoslavia, spent a year in Prague, furthered her art studies in New York and earned her degree at the Pedagogical University of Cracow in the Fine Arts Department.

Pecaric finds it “inspirational to work with students; there is constant learning and discovery in challenging one’s prior beliefs and learning not to fear mistakes.” Sophomore Devorah Cohen exclaimed: “I love Ms. Pecaric’s class, because I learn so many new ways to create art!”

The Ma’ayanot art concentration approaches art as a journey and prepares students for lifelong artistic learning and expression. Ma’ayanot students may study art for all four years of high school, culminating in a portfolio submission for AP credit in art and design.