Cathy Weiss

About The Artwork

Never Forget, 2021, Mixed media

Never Forget, juxtaposes a mother and child from the Holocaust with a mother and child being separated at the U.S. border. I wanted to bring forward my family’s history and connect it to what is still happening today. My grandmother brought her family to Los Angeles in the early 1930s at a time when the only place Jews were allowed to live was in Boyle Heights. One of the symbols used in this piece is the forget-me-not flower, in remembrance of our mothers and children. In its roots are keys, representing home, and bones which symbolize our ancestors.

Dreams Across the Pochote, 2022, Mixed media

This piece represents the connection between the women of Los Angeles and Oaxaca. I began a collective of Los Angeles women across culture, faith, and life experiences to build bridges with women artists in Oaxaca –which inspired a female artist residency Oaxaca. While there, I saw the beautiful Pochote tree with its glorious flowers. Upon my return, I discovered another at the entrance to Laurel Canyon–my home! In my artwork, the braided rope symbolizes strength and the two hands holding the rope represent the connection between the women.