Drawing On What You Have Lived

by John Geier and Galina Perelman with Eric Bressler

Bet Shalom members John Geier and Galina Perelman became artists later in life than some. Their back stories, Jewish journeys, and paths as artists are fascinating! One of John’s works, “Streams of Consciousness in the Minnesota Waterfall,” is currently on display at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport in the Thompson Reuters Concourse C Art Gallery. Be sure to check it out along with other selections of Galina’s and John’s work in the accompanying Tapestry photo spread!

Galina, you were born in the USSR and trained in several careers. Walk us through that.

I started a career as a civil engineer in Russia, but after a brief time in that field I found it unrewarding. I decided to switch careers (which was highly unusual and discouraged in the old Soviet Union) to that of surgical nursing. Seeking further independence, I studied at a Russian hospital in a program that concentrated on medical massage therapy, and I continued providing that service for 30 years even in the USA.

What was it like being Jewish in the Soviet Union?

It was inconvenient and carried a stigma that resulted in Jews being persecuted and discriminated against in all areas of society, professional and personal. Antisemitism was powerful. In my early years I kept quiet. In grade school a pupil’s ethnicity and religious affiliation were noted in their teacher’s log books. Other students made fun of me. As a teenager I was discouraged from dating non-Jews because having a relationship with a non-Jew could harm their career and social standing. There was a definite overt and sometimes hidden agenda when it came to promotions, or lack there-of. The doors to leave the Soviet Union opened during perestroika and Gorbachev, so my entire family came to the USA in 1989. To this day I am guarded about and sometimes still affected by the Russian experience.

John, you’ve been a serial entrepreneur. Give us some highlights of your career.

I’ve had numerous forays into challenging and interesting areas including marketing, sales, product development and entrepreneurial activities. Through college I painted about 250 homes, as did my grandfather and dad before me. I owned a restaurant pub with my brothers two blocks from the old Metrodome downtown Minneapolis. I was a real estate broker. After working at Carlson Companies as a Creative Director of Learning Programs, I owned a marketing agency focusing on product knowledge programs for companies such as Wells Fargo, Medtronic and national insurance companies.

One day Galina came to me with an idea to start a child care business in our home with our first two clients: our grandchildren. Initially I dismissed it out of hand. After two months of “What are we thinking?” we started the business. It grew and we eventually had two commercial locations, serving 120 children and with 40 employees. Today we have one location, which at our age is plenty!

And why did you decide to convert to Judaism, John?

 Not because my grandmother was Jewish; she never formalized an acknowledgment of her faith. Her parents, both Jews, came from Hungary in the 1920’s. I have always had an interest in comparative religions and spirituality. I like Judaism and the teachers and historical poets, philosophers, and defenders of the thought and spiritual pathways one can pursue. So I converted and am very satisfied with my decision. Galina wonders sometimes why I converted at my age. Well, people awaken at different times, if they are lucky to do so at all. A pragmatist, Galina keeps me grounded as her experiences have roots in a family and tradition that have seen both the unkind treatments received and the immense responsibility of keeping a flame alive.

So joining Bet Shalom was a natural next step?

Certainly! We joined Bet Shalom because of its forward-thinking/feeling tendencies and the people we came to know. We joke that because we live one block away, we simply had to become members! We value the quality of its leadership accepting challenges, sometimes without easy answers. While Zoom adult education experiences helped bridge the gap during COVID, now we’re attending more events in person and enjoying the friendships we have developed. Bet Shalom is about community! At the wine tasting events we’ve met new people and find that good wine and the good life are more “approachable.” We have new appreciation for winged creatures thanks to the birding group. We enjoy Beyond Torah, Dr. Nick’s Hebrew language classes and deep dive lessons, and Saturday mornings with the Hasidic Masters.  Galina says, “Thank you Linda [Hulbert] and Kent [Rissman]. Your concern and sharing your history and opinions of pathways to understanding society, Judaism and friendship makes me appreciate you all the more.” John thanks Yale Dolginow for his business direction, leadership and good friendship on matters of personal growth. And we both appreciate the openness we receive from other congregants.

Galina, tell us about your journey as an artist.

Years ago we visited Safed [Tsfat], Israel, in the Galilee. Safed’s magical charm, its mysterious atmosphere, its picturesque alleys and staircases and its breathtaking mountain scenery always drew the nation's best artists to live and work there. We found the shops, galleries and walks and conversations with artists intriguing and inspirational. I appreciated the technical stuff while talking with the artists about how they produced their art. But more important was their passion about the meaning behind their work and how the art reflected who that artist is as a person and their Israeli roots. I vowed then and there, “I can do this!” Safed imparted to me a magical bliss of creativity I draw on to this day!

When I got home John converted one of our basement bedrooms into my first studio. I was hooked! I focused on mosaic, ceramic, and glass as mediums. I took as many courses as I could in the Twin Cities, and later found the Chicago Mosaic School, which offers a full curriculum of mosaic study with many talented instructors. The masters from Italy visit it a few times a year, too. I love how you can express emotion through art.

And John, your mixed media work reminds me of your varied career. But you didn’t have an art background?

It’s from house painting at age eighteen! In college I studied photography, speech communication, radio and television production. I’ve always been a visual thinker; I would see an image first, then sketch out a project. Even my business plans were non-linear: my best work seems to first come as polygons on a napkin, and from those visuals adding literary text. Everyone is an artist; recall that “The Medium is the Message.” In corporate America I led creative teams of writers, illustrators, print production and audio/visual specialists, all really artists. These days I prefer working fluid lines, screen printing, big kilns and heat and an occasional torch for glass (lamp work). I also took a class in Chicago on how to build frames capable of holding and hanging mosaic pieces like Galina’s with their weight and complexities.

I’ve learned that one can borrow approaches and methodologies from other realms, industries and life experiences to create physical or intangible crossover solutions specific to unusual challenges. Think of Velcro and its sand bur inspiration. Art, relationships and spirituality can be viewed through this lens.

Galina and John have not yet hit the road doing art shows. “Don’t know if we’re ready to live out of a trailer.”