Live Performances

Community Events, Ovations Offstage

The Arts Are Not Immune

in partnership with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute's SAGE+ Lecture Series

November 2, 2026 • 6 - 7:30 PM

Wishcamper Center at USM

Free RSVPSee "Twin Keys"
Antisemitism does not stop at the doors of our museums, galleries, theaters, or literary institutions. Drawing on her experiences as Executive Director of the Maine Jewish Museum (opens in a new window), examples from Maine’s arts community, and developments in the wider worlds of the arts, culture, and publishing, Dawn LaRochelle will explore how antisemitism is surfacing in cultural spaces today. What does it look like? What happens when Jewish artists, stories, and institutions become proxies for a political conflict? And what responsibilities do cultural organizations have when artistic expression, political activism, and antisemitism collide?

INFORMATION

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 6 – 7:30 PM

WISHCAMPER CENTER, ROOM 12
34 BEDFORD STREET, PORTLAND

FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

This event is open to all, regardless of age or OLLI membership.

ACCESSIBILITY

Wheelchair accessible. 

Dawn LaRochelle is the Executive Director of the Maine Jewish Museum in Portland, where she has led a period of significant growth in the Museum’s exhibitions, educational programs, public programming, and statewide partnerships. Her work centers on using history, art, storytelling, and conversation to explore the diversity of Jewish life in Maine and to build connections across communities.

Under her leadership, the Museum has dramatically expanded Delet, its K–12 education initiative; created the Ampersand Project, a statewide exploration of contemporary Jewish life; and developed programs addressing Jewish identity, antisemitism, history, and culture. LaRochelle is also deeply engaged in partnerships with educational, arts, and cultural organizations throughout Maine.

Before coming to the Museum, LaRochelle’s decidedly nonlinear career included practicing law, teaching, nonprofit leadership, and owning a restaurant and two catering companies. She holds degrees from Duke University, Harvard Law School, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst Graduate School of Education.