About Us

We preserve and interpret a rich collection of fine art and artifacts that tell the vibrant story of the Cincinnati Jewish community and global Jewish history, religion, and culture through thoughtful core and temporary exhibitions and engaging public programs for visitors of all faiths.

The Cincinnati Skirball Museum is one of the oldest repositories of Jewish cultural artifacts in America. The first stage in the museum’s development lasted for nearly a century, beginning when Hebrew Union College opened in 1875 and over time began accepting donations of Judaic objects and books. In 1913, the College’s Union Museum was founded with the assistance of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods, becoming the first formally established Jewish museum in the United States. In the 1920s, the collection rapidly expanded with the purchase of several significant private collections of Judaica, including those of Salli Kirschstein, Joseph Hamburger, and Louis Grossman.  In 1990 the Cincinnati Skirball Museum opened in Mayerson Hall, presenting its core exhibition, An Eternal People: The Jewish Experience. The Skirball Museum is named for Rabbi Jack H. Skirball (1896-1985). An HUC-ordained rabbi, Skirball served a congregation in Evansville, Indiana, before transitioning to careers in the film industry and real estate. He is remembered for his lifelong service to Jewish education and culture.

In 2015, B’nai B’rith International and HUC-JIR announced the transfer of the art and artifacts of the former B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum, for the purposes of preserving and displaying this distinctive collection of sacred and secular fine and decorative arts. The B’nai B’rith Klutznick collection augments and enhances the Skirball’s holdings significantly, rendering it among the most prominent Jewish museums between the Alleghenies and the Rockies.

In addition to its core exhibition, the Skirball Museum also features temporary exhibitions that portray the cultural, historical, and religious heritage of the Jewish people.

Abby Schwartz served as director of the Skirball Museum for ten years. In her current role as Curatorial Consultant, she will continue to be involved with exhibitions and special projects, and especially with the important work of reimagining the Cincinnati campus as a research and cultural center. Schwartz is the former curator of education at the Taft Museum of Art, and a former Taft Museum of Art docent. She has lectured widely on Jewish art, notably at the Melton School and the Osher Life Long Learning Institute of the University of Cincinnati. While at the Taft, she co-curated an exhibition of Jewish and Christian devotional objects with the Skirball Museum and served as general editor for the publication Artistic Expressions of Faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, first place winner of the 1998 Ohio Museums Association Visual Communications Award in the book/catalogue category. During her tenure at the Skirball, the museum won several awards from the Ohio Museums Association for exhibition announcement design. She has written exhibition catalogues and brochures, and was involved with gathering photographic illustrations for the 4-volume catalogue of the Taft Museum of Art collections. Schwartz earned her bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Rochester, where she graduated cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and a master’s degree in art history from the University of Cincinnati. Her thesis topic was Hague School painter Jozef Israels, with a special concentration on Sewing School at Katwijk.

Sheri Besso has twenty five of experience in the safe handling and preparation of works of art for storage, exhibition, and travel. Her experience includes working for art institutions, artists, private clients and businesses locally and regionally. At the Skirball, she has been directly involved with the intake of the B’nai B’rith Klutznick National Jewish Museum Collection, with responsibilities for cataloguing, photographing, condition reporting, and preparation for display. She also directs exhibition design and installation. Sheri received her Associates degree from the University of Cincinnati, and her Bachelor of Fine Arts for Sculpture with an emphasis in Art History and Museum Studies from the Art Academy of Cincinnati.

Autumn Wheeler-Peterson is Executive Assistant to the Dean on the HUC-JIR Cincinnati Campus, and has been with HUC since July of 2015. Autumn grew up in Charleston WV, daughter of a minister. She studied music at Kentucky Christian University and is a classically trained vocalist. Autumn has a broad past of business employment including: franchise owner; development director; and office manager for various businesses.