X-0010 Interview with Hunter Levinsohn9 items
Date Deposited: 2016-05-05
Collection: Southern Oral History Program Interviews
Finding Aid: Doesn’t have a finding aid
Hunter Levinsohn is a vibrant Jewish artist and social activist in Chapel Hill, N.C. Born in 1943 in Charleston, S.C., Levinsohn was educated at an all-girl school as a child. She discusses her “unconventional” personality as a child growing up in the conservative South. She then describes her first experiences with activism during the Civil... Read more
Hunter Levinsohn is a vibrant Jewish artist and social activist in Chapel Hill, N.C. Born in 1943 in Charleston, S.C., Levinsohn was educated at an all-girl school as a child. She discusses her “unconventional” personality as a child growing up in the conservative South. She then describes her first experiences with activism during the Civil Rights Movement in Charleston. Levinsohn earned a BA in Latin at Randolph-Macon Woman's College in 1965, in Lynchburg, Va. Upon graduating she traveled around Europe for six months. She then received a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 1967. Once graduating from UNC-Chapel Hill, Levinsohn taught at a local public school, however, after one year she switched careers and has been a practicing artist ever since. For the majority of the interview, Levinsohn discusses individual works of art she has created that are directly linked to her social activism and Judiasm. She begins this discussion talking about a piece she made solely out of found cigarette butts in reaction to the nations obsessive consumption of tobacco. Levinsohn proceeds to describe two pieces that were ultimately removed from public view due to their controversial content. One of these pieces, removed from the Town Hall of Carrboro, featured an American flag with a swastika located in it, and the other, removed from The University of North Carolina Botanical Gardens, was a sculpture of a raccoon, serving as a metaphor for Levinsohn’s frustration with the Republican majority in the State Legislature. Levinsohn also discusses her creation process and inspiration behind some of her works of art, such as an installation of over one thousand paper cranes, made from the front page of the New York Times over a span of four years, leading up to the end of President George W. Bush’s last term. She also discusses her “spiritual needs” and conversion to Judaism after her mother-in-law passed away. At the end of the interview Levinsohn describes her two children and her passions outside of art, such as gardening and spending time with her granddaughter. This interview was conducted as part of the oral history seminar, HIST 670, in spring 2015 under the direction of Dr. Malinda Maynor Lowery at UNC-Chapel Hill.Read less