“Call it childish, but I get the visceral impact of belief. It is part of our conservator’s credo. We are a scientific profession, but we are true believers in the possibility of repair. We face a detonated Buddha, a slashed painting, or an Eva Hesse whose once pliable plastic artworks have become dark and hard over time and visualize redemption. We can’t fix everything, but we approach our work with hope. We hope, we look, and we repair.” —Dwell Time

In her remarkable book, Dwell Time: A Memoir of Art, Exile, and Repair, Cuban-born Rosa Lowinger, whose family fled rising antisemitism in Europe and then escaped to Miami after Castro’s revolution, expertly weaves her personal history with her decades of art conservation experience. In her book, she contends with generational trauma, the struggles of exile and the challenges of caring for aging parents.

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Join us on Thursday, April 18 at 7 PM ET as guest host Leah Finkelshteyn, Hadassah Magazine’s senior and book editor, talks with writer and prominent art conservator Rosa Lowinger about her book, Dwell Time: A Memoir of Art, Exile and Repair.

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Local book groups are a vital part of Hadassah for many members. If your chapter doesn’t already have one, now’s the time to start! We encourage groups to have their own discussions about Dwell Time before or after watching the virtual interview with the author. To facilitate those discussions, we present the following discussion guide.

1. In her memoir, author Rosa Lowinger, a renowned art conservator, pairs her story and the story of her family with art conservation—the materials and methods she uses in her career. What do you think of that framework? When reading the book, was there any one material discussed—marble, glass, concrete, plastic or another—that reminds you of objects from your home or childhood?

 

2. In the book, Lowinger explains that “dwell time,” from which she took her title, is the measure of the amount of time needed for a chemical to work on a surface. Why do you think she chose that term as a title for her book?

 

3. Lowinger grapples with her Cuban, Jewish and American identities throughout the memoir. How does her exploration of identity influence her approach to conservation and her understanding of her family’s history? In what way does her heritage, and especially her Jewish heritage, shape her perspective on the importance of preserving cultural artifacts?

 

4. How does Dwell Time challenge the conventional Jewish narratives of immigration and exile? As seen through the author’s eyes, how is the story of the Cuban Jewish community unique? Discuss the ways in which the memoir expands our understanding of immigrant stories by integrating themes of art, conservation and personal healing.

 

5. Central to the book is Lowinger’s relationship with her brilliant but erratic mother, Hilda, whom Lowinger describes as “damaged.” How do you understand their relationship? How did her mother’s trauma shadow Lowinger’s life? How did her mother nevertheless serve as a role model?

 

6. The book opens with the author’s mother as a child cleaning marble tabletops in an orphanage. Marble, Lowinger notes, is typically associated with “wealth and elegance.” Yet her mother, placed in the orphanage in her youth, grew up impoverished. Reflect on the role of money and privilege in the memoir, particularly in relation to Lowinger’s family dynamics and the effects on her mother. How does the disparity between her mother’s background and her father’s relatively wealthy family contribute to the dysfunction Lowinger reveals?

 

7. What do you think about the other relationships in the memoir, from the author’s relationship with her father and her first husband to her parents’ relationship? How do they develop and change?

 

8. In the latter part of the book, Lowinger grapples with her father’s despair over his career disappointments and her mother’s loneliness. “Is it my responsibility to mend her troubles?” she asks herself about her mother. What do you believe constitutes an adult child’s responsibility to his or her parents and the boundaries of caregiving for aging parents? Reflect on the complexities that often surround familial obligations.

 

9. Havana serves as a significant backdrop in Dwell Time, both as a setting for family history and as a focal point of Lowinger’s conservation work. How does the author’s return to Havana mark the beginning of her journey of family repair? She also describes her travels to Tel Aviv, Philadelphia, Rome, Los Angeles, Honolulu, Charleston and other cities. Discuss the symbolism of these places in the memoir and their impact on the narrative.

 

10. Lowinger’s experiences as an art conservator are intertwined with her personal journey, blurring the lines between professional and private life. How does her dedication to her craft impact her relationships and self-discovery? Explore the complexities of balancing passion for work with the need for personal fulfillment and growth.

 

11. There are several profound messages of hope and healing in Dwell Time, among them the idea of opening one’s heart to another person’s wounds. How does Lowinger’s journey exemplify the transformative power of empathy and connection? Reflect on moments in the memoir where acts of understanding and compassion lead to healing and reconciliation.

 

12. Lowinger describes learning to be comfortable with brokenness, that “damage is a prelude to redemption” and that repair can happen with both patience and belief—ideas found in Jewish mysticism, too. Discuss how and if that wisdom can be applied to the trauma experienced by Jews today, both on an individual level and as a nation.