It is with great sadness that Landmark College shares the passing of alumna Yishay Garbasz ’96. A Berlin-based interdisciplinary artist, Yishay was widely recognized for her powerful work exploring trauma, memory, and identity. She often spoke of Landmark College as foundational to her journey, noting that it was here, at the age of 25, that she truly learned to write.
Yishay remained a deeply engaged and generous member of the Landmark community throughout her life. She returned to campus in Fall 2011 as a featured speaker in the Academic Speaker Series, reflecting on her experience and the profound impact the college had on her path. She shared her work and perspective again in 2021 through the virtual panel discussion Why We Can’t Have Nice Things, centered on art as activism and life with learning differences. Her artistic contributions were also featured in the College’s 30th Anniversary Alumni Art Show in 2015 and most recently in the 40th Anniversary Alumni Art Show in Fall 2025.
In recent months, Yishay continued to give back in meaningful ways. She began collaborating with the NeuroVisions team, offered mentorship and guidance to current students, and was planning to serve as a judge for the upcoming festival this April.
Professors and advisors of Yishay remember her as a remarkable and resilient individual whose time at Landmark was marked by determination and grace. As an older, international student from Israel, and navigating a hilly campus in a wheelchair, Yishay approached each challenge with strength and adaptability.
After her time at Landmark, Yishay went on to study at Bard College, spend time in a Buddhist monastery, and ultimately settle in Berlin, where she built an influential artistic career. Her work spanned large-format photography and sculpture, often centered on reclaiming memory and amplifying marginalized voices. Her projects explored subjects ranging from her mother’s experience during the Holocaust to the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the realities faced by refugees, and violence against women and trans individuals. She believed deeply in art as a moral and political force for good.
On her website, Yishay described her work as being “engaged in a continual process of making the invisible visible, making the unsightly tenderly seen.” Yishay’s artwork has been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, including Tokyo, Seoul, New York City, Miami, Boston, Berlin, Paris, and London. Her work was featured in Phaidon’s “Great Women Artists” as well as in Prestel’s “Citizen women: Illustrated history of the women’s movement”.
Beyond her work, Yishay was known for her generosity, courage, and devotion to others. She remained committed to supporting fellow artists and advocating for communities often overlooked or silenced.
Yishay Garbasz leaves behind a lasting legacy—as an artist, a mentor, and a cherished member of the Landmark College community. She will be deeply missed.
Friends and colleagues have established a GoFundMe to cover the costs of a memorial service as well as the transportation, storage and preservation of her artwork.