TORONTO — To celebrate their philosophy that all children are valuable members of the community, two non-profit groups of young people recently organized a fundraiser of collaborative art, music, spoken word and visual experiences, in support of the Zareinu Educational Centre.
Melanie Cheskes stands beside one of her paintings. [Rachel Albert photo]
The Jewish Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) and the Birthright Israel Alumni Community (BAC) held the Revelations Art Show July 12 at the Lonsdale Gallery in Toronto, showcasing the work of nine young Jewish artists who were eager to support Zareinu, a Jewish day school and treatment centre for children with physical and developmental challenges.
The idea for Revelations came from Lindsay Malet, a JUMP and Birthright participant who has a passion for the arts. Malet took the initiative to create the event last year to raise funds and awareness for Save a Child’s Heart, a non-profit humanitarian project that strives to improve the quality of pediatric cardiac care for children from developing countries who suffer from heart disease.
“Last year’s show involved a silent auction to raise money for the organization,” Malet said. “This year, we chose a new recipient and changed the theme. We’ve gotten a lot more public attention and really feel that we’ve started a good trend.”
Shoshana Allen, JUMP’s program and marketing manager, said the first art show was such a success that they did not want to limit their fundraising to just one charity.
“All the proceeds from this year’s show will be going to UJA [Federation of Greater Toronto] in direct support of Zareinu… an incredible cause that also represents the future of our community. We know the capacity of this demographic, and JUMP and BAC aim to continually expose [people] to organizations that need their support,” she said.
“Although JUMP and BAC are both non-profits, our goal is to inspire our demographic and help them understand the Jewish idea of tikkun olam. To see people enjoying themselves, meeting other young professionals and supporting a cause is a really exciting environment to be in.”
Allen said while Revelations is a display of young talent, it is also an expression of common interest in giving back to the Jewish community. Since this year’s show was built from the momentum of last year’s event, JUMP had many more artist applicants to consider before selecting the nine they featured. In the end, Allen said JUMP and BAC were thrilled with their decisions.
“They are all so incredibly talented in their own right. You can see their passion for their work in their pieces and that they are all on the verge of something huge. It’s a great feeling to be in a room with that energy. It represents all of us at JUMP and BAC – passionate and on the verge of something much bigger than the events we put on.”
Dina Taub, whose acrylic paintings examine energy in nature, was one of the artists whose works were displayed at the show. She has attended many JUMP events and volunteered at Zareinu, which made her an obvious candidate.
“I feel very special, privileged and honoured to be part of Revelations,” Taub said. “Many artists in their 20s and 30s have felt isolated in this city, and this show meets a need in exposing our talents and abilities.”
Melanie Cheskes, an artist who has painted in Toronto and Jerusalem, said she enjoys exploring the connection between Jewish youth and Israel. She said her pieces are usually political, and those seen at the show portrayed friends who served in the Israeli army and now find peace and solace in the country’s natural springs.
“It’s important to support younger, emerging artists,” Cheskes said. “Revelations has made it easy for us to showcase our work in a great gallery for a great cause.”
Other artists included Clare Nisker, who travelled to exotic destinations to gain perspective for her pieces; Calvin Benchimol, a photographer who captured Israel’s beauty through his lens; Jeanne Louise Gordon, whose brightly coloured abstract paintings lit up the room; Karen Schmerler, whose Unconditional, a painting of a mother and child embracing, touched many; Dara Alter, whose painting of the Western Wall was spiritually uplifting; Yoav Kogan, who exhibited his red and black series of painted hands; and Dalia Heymann, a former industrial design student who transformed old chairs into functional and innovative objects.
Perhaps the most powerful art at the show, however, was in spoken word format – an excerpt read by Sara Farb from a play she wrote about her sister, Rebecca. Farb’s piece could not have been more appropriate, as Rebecca was once a student at Zareinu.
