TORONTO — Jerusalem Defined, a group exhibition presented by the Jerusalem Foundation of Canada, opens this month as part of Contact, Toronto’s annual photography festival.
My Jerusalem by Ian Leventhal.
The exhibit, at the System 4 Gallery from April 28 to May 31, includes giclee prints on canvas based on photography by Canadian artist Gina Godfrey; an evocative study of coexisting cultures by photographer Beverley Abramson; a large-scale painted installation by fabric artist Rochelle Rubinstein; and spiritual works by Toronto muralist Ian Leventhal, in his Chagall-like style.
Leventhal, 56, a commercial artist, is a longtime volunteer in the Jewish community. For the past three years, he has served as the executive director of the Jerusalem Foundation of Canada. The organization, dedicated to raising money for the Israeli city, was founded by the late Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek.
“A year ago January, there was a journalist/artist mission to Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Foundation brought several artists and writers to explore Jerusalem through the eyes of the Jerusalem Foundation – a sort of behind-the-scenes view of the city and how it works,” says Leventhal, who acted as organizer and curator for the sojourn.
“From the photography, sketches and writings of that trip, we used material to create a journalistic overview that spawned several articles, and with the artistic overview we took the vision of what the artists thought of Jerusalem and created an exhibition around it.”
This Jewish calendar year both the Jerusalem Foundation and the reunification of Jerusalem celebrate a 40th anniversary.
“To commemorate the reunification and the foundation, we created Jerusalem Defined,” Leventhal says. “The exhibition is a fundraiser, with the artists donating a significant amount of the proceeds of the artwork to fund projects of the Jerusalem Foundation.
“The original Jerusalem Defined, which opened last October in Jerusalem at the Jerusalem Theatre, combined our Canadian artists’ efforts with local Israeli talent. The exhibition was so successful that we decided to bring it to Toronto as a fundraiser and sale in April. For the Toronto exhibit we are only highlighting the Canadian artists.”
Monies raised in Toronto will go to the Gan Hashalom, a peace kindergarten devoted to teaching 120 Jewish and Arab children, from two to five, love and tolerance, with an emphasis on Jewish, Islamic and Christian celebrations and festivals.
Jerusalem Defined opens with a gala on April 28 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $60; admission to the exhibit is free at other times. The gala includes a silent auction of fine art and photography; El Al tickets to Israel; restaurant coupons and wine. Tickets can be purchased at System 4 Gallery, 70 Wingold Ave.; by phone at 416-741-5542; or online at [email protected].
For more information about the Jerusalem Foundation of Canada, visit www.jerusalemfoundation.ca.