Fiddler on the Roof: An Exploration of Tradition & Identity

The Breman Museum partners with the Atlanta Opera and the Alliance Theatre to present a special exhibition alongside the Alliance’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. It showcases the work of acclaimed costume designer Vita Tzykun and her father, celebrated Israeli artist Arkady Tzykun.

Vita’s detailed costume designs capture the dignity, individuality, and vibrant traditions of the Jewish shtetl, while her collaboration with Arkady blends her visionary concepts with his masterful illustrations. Their father–daughter partnership celebrates shared heritage and the generational transmission of craft, memory, and imagination. Arkady’s pencil drawings highlight the beauty and diversity of the Jewish people and show how subtle artistic choices can both reflect humanity and, if misused, perpetuate stereotypes.

The exhibition includes over 50 collaborative costume illustrations for the Alliance–Atlanta Opera production, striking sculptural figures of Tevye and an 8-foot-tall Grandma Tzeitel, and Arkady’s portraits alongside caricatures. Together, these works explore identity, tradition, and cultural memory while celebrating art’s power to challenge prejudice and honor shared humanity.