Nathan Viner

Meet Nathan (he/him) 

Nathan Viner is an arts curator currently exploring film and music curation in both the physical and digital landscape. A Louisville native, he was brought up within the rich artistic scenes of the city and its the Jewish community. After graduating from the University of Louisville and completing an internship at the Speed Cinema, he moved to New York City where he worked as an intern at both the Museum of Modern Art and Anthology Film Archives. He is currently the Programming Coordinator for the Criterion Channel. He now organizes a series of film screenings throughout Louisville, with an emphasis on the physical medium and the participation of artists. 

Nathan’s Project 

My fellowship project serves as an exploration of the relationship between Jewish people and the culture of traditional music in Appalachia. While attending a week of musical education in Whitesburg, KY, I discovered a significant presence of Jewish individuals throughout the culture: as performers, musicologists, and filmmakers. For my project I intend to study this relationship, primarily through consideration of the work and reputation of John Cohen (1932-2019). A musician, photographer, filmmaker, and a New York Jew, much of John Cohen’s artistic output (and imprint) is derived from his documentation of and learning from these mountain communities. Through my studies, I hope to discover more of his history and religious identity as well as the perceptions and sentiments about Jews and Judaism among the local Appalachians that he met. In culmination, I plan to screen his 1963 film The High Lonesome Sound and bring together members from the local Jewish community and musical communities of eastern Kentucky to explore the relationship between these two historied cultures.