Mission: To educate the Jewish and general public by presenting high-quality fine-arts exhibits of Jewish interest, either by Jewish artists or with a meaningful Jewish component - all in keeping with the overall mission of the Jewish Community Center, of which the gallery is a part. The gallery schedules five to six shows annually, with original works in all media by artists from the United States and around the world.

Latest accomplishment: The current exhibit, "Park Heights: Lives Along an Avenue," opened Sept. 2 and runs through Nov. 28. The unusual photo-documentary exhibit, created by artists Amy L. Bernstein and Kristine L. Buls, reflects the diversity of life along a 10-mile stretch of Park Heights Avenue - from Park Circle in Baltimore City to Caves Road in Baltimore County's Greenspring Valley. Visitors are exposed to a wide variety of contemporary viewpoints.

On the horizon: Opening in March, the international exhibit "Raising Miriam's Cup." Co-sponsored with the Women's Department of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, the exhibit will feature three-dimensional work by artists from Israel, Holland and the United States who were invited to create their own unique version of a cup in honor of the biblical prophet Miriam. Including Miriam's Cup along with the traditional Elijah's Cup at the Passover Seder has become a ritual among many contemporary Jews.

About the gallery: Attendance: 5,000 annually. Operating budget: $10,500.

Where and when: 5700 Park Heights Ave. Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Sunday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday; 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; noon to 2:30 p.m. Friday. Closed Saturdays and holidays. Call 410-542-4900.

Elaine Abrams, chairwoman, JCC Cultural Arts Committee: "In addition to presenting fine-arts exhibits at the gallery, we also try to expand our visitors' experience by offering lectures, group discussions and special gallery tours. Broadening our outreach into the community is the essence of what we are hoping to achieve."

Members of the Cultural Arts Committee

Steve Abrams

Evelyn Avery

Claudine Davison

Aliza Friedman

Elaine Gittlen

Nancy Goldberg

Hadassah Gordis

Melinda Greenberg

Judy Hyatt

Marcy Kolodny

Judy Langenthal

Steve Liebowitz

Ernest Lowenstein

Jon Meyer

Stan Morstein

Michael Saxon

Michael Wegier

Stan Weiman

Lisa Weiss

Pub Date: 9/20/98