More Israeli artists show their wares at 4-day annual event
Written by Shlomo Kapustin
Jewish Tribune, Wednesday, 12 May 2010
TORONTO – The Israeli Artists Group of Toronto is ramping up for its second annual art show, scheduled to coincide with Yom Yerushalayim, or Jerusalem Day. It will run from May 13 to May 16 and take place at the J.E.H./Thoreau MacDonald House, just north of Toronto.“We wanted to expand, so that the community knows more about us,” said Moshe Mikanovsky, one of the organizers of the event. “Obviously, we want to sell, but it’s also about culture.”Twenty-four artists will be showing their art at the free, four-day event, a 50 per cent increase from last year’s 16 exhibitors, and Mikanovsky, whose work includes some Jewish- and Israeli-themed work, said that the group is already looking for larger quarters for next year’s exhibit.
Fifteen members of the Israeli Artists Group of Toronto are set for their second annual art show at J.E.H./Thoreau MacDonald House north of Toronto beginning May 13 and running till May 16.
The group’s ranks have swelled in the past year to reach about 35, said Mira Clarfield, who recently stepped down as one of its official leaders. Along with the growth in numbers has come greater exposure for the group’s members.
Founded in 1992, the group comprises members of many artistic disciplines – from jewellery to painting to ceramics to photography to sculpture to calligraphy to textiles. Some artists create Judaica; some focus on secular materials. Many work at other full-time occupations; about a third are full-time artists.
While some of the newer recruits are working to increase the group’s exposure, the organization mostly serves as an artistic support group of sorts for Israeli ex-pats.
“It’s to be able to see and hear each other and share intimate feelings,” said Meni Conen, a veteran of the organization who headed it for about five years in the 1990s. “We are … supporting each other and helping each other.”
Once a month, for example, the group meets and, in addition to the social component, invites a guest to speak about an art-related topic. A few weeks ago, Avner Levona, the husband of group member Aliza Levona, screened two short films that he had directed – one, a whimsical take on falafel; the other, a history of the classic hora folk dance – and discussed their creation.
Conen, whose artist-appropriate Hebrew name is translated as “create,” pointed out that many artists work alone, “so you learn by being with other artists together. Everyone has their own style, but they do it together.”
Hours for the show are: May 13 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; May 14 from Noon to 9 p.m.; May 15-16 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The site of the show, the J.E.H./Thoreau MacDonald House, is located at 121 Centre Street in Thornhill, Ontario, close to the Yonge-Centre intersection.
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