Choosing the ketubah for my marriage was more meaningful to me than finding the perfect dress. I found my gown in a single morning at Filene’s Basement’s famous “Running of the Brides” event for under a hundred dollars.
Our ketubah — a Jewish marriage contract that is a legal document as well as a work of art — was a much larger investment. We chose a rainbow ketubah with interlocking love knots because we wanted our home to hold a lasting reminder of our identity and love. I knew I’d wear the dress once, but we would see our ketubah on the wall every day.
I’m Evelyn Goldman, a Jewish visual artist and graphic designer based in North Carolina. I create Jewish papercut artwork that celebrates Jewish tradition through symbolism, history, and modern design.
My work has been exhibited throughout public libraries across North Carolina, and select pieces are carried by the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in New Orleans. My papercuts are also held in private collections in the United States and abroad.
Whether you’re choosing a ketubah for your own home or searching for a meaningful piece of Jewish art, my work is created to be lived with and treasured for years to come. Many designs can also be personalized or developed as custom papercuts for weddings, anniversaries, and other Jewish life events.
Artist Statement
My work is rooted in the Jewish papercutting tradition that flourished in Eastern Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries, when elaborate designs decorated the walls of synagogues and homes for holidays and life-cycle events.
Each piece begins as a hand-drawn composition, inspired by Jewish texts, folklore, and symbols, and shaped by a modern sensibility. I often incorporate Hebrew lettering alongside imagery such as birds, flowers, vines, and the Tree of Life, creating a visual conversation between past and present.
Once the design is complete, I cut the art from a single sheet of paper with a fine surgical blade. This process transforms the page into interlacing shapes and spaces, where light and shadow emphasize the intricacy of the design and bring both imagery and Hebrew words to life.
When displayed in your home, these works carry beauty, symbolism, and heritage into your everyday surroundings.
If you’re searching for a ketubah, a meaningful gift, or a piece of Jewish art for your home, you’re welcome to explore the collection or inquire about a custom design.
The People of the Book
In 2024, I created a papercut exhibition for Jewish American Heritage Month at my local public library. The ancient art of papercutting offered a natural way to tell the story of the Jewish people — often called the People of the Book — through a medium that reflects the paths of the Jewish diaspora.
To prepare for the exhibit, I studied traditional Sephardi and Ashkenazi papercutting designs created by past masters and developed several original works. One of those pieces, inspired by Jewish folklore, depicts the Golem of Prague.
That papercut has since become one of my bestselling designs, collected and gifted around the world as a symbol of persistence, strength, and legacy.
From Writing to Papercutting
Before turning to papercutting, I was a published author writing Jewish stories that blended history, romance, humor, and resilience.
Over time, the words that once filled my pages grew quiet. Reconnecting with my Jewish heritage through art led me to papercutting — a different way of telling stories.
Paper felt like a natural medium for that transition. In Jewish tradition, words give meaning to the materials that carry them. A prayer book is kissed when it falls, not because paper and ink are precious, but because the sacred words within are.
Papercutting became my way of carrying those stories forward.
Hiddur Mitzvah
Hiddur mitzvah is the Jewish concept of beautifying the commandment. It asks us not only to fulfill the mitzvah, but to elevate it. It’s why our ritual objects are works of art.
That same principle guides my work. When I create Judaic artwork to mark your life’s milestones, every detail — style, symbolism, and story — is chosen deliberately.
Community and Teaching
My work with the public library system continues through exhibitions, Meet the Artist events, and community papercutting workshops. Sharing the tradition of Jewish papercutting with new audiences remains one of the most rewarding parts of my practice.
If your community is interested in an exhibit or program, I invite you to reach out.
Generation to Generation
My papercut artwork tells stories about who we are — rooted in Jewish tradition and shaped with a fresh design sensibility. When one of these pieces becomes part of your home, it carries those stories forward, from generation to generation.
If one of these pieces speaks to you, I invite you to explore the collection or inquire about a custom papercut.
