{"id":37935,"date":"2021-12-10T01:58:14","date_gmt":"2021-12-10T09:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/?p=37935"},"modified":"2021-12-08T10:45:16","modified_gmt":"2021-12-08T18:45:16","slug":"art-show-with-a-holiday-feel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/2021\/12\/10\/art-show-with-a-holiday-feel\/","title":{"rendered":"Art show with a holiday feel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ande Axelrod has developed a partnership with artisans in the village of Sosote, Ecuador, as her source for tagua beads. (photo from Zack Gallery)<\/em><\/p>\n

The current show at the Zack Gallery, Affordable, opened on Nov. 17. It delivers on its name\u2019s promise. Every item on display is less than $250 and thus in the realm of affordability for many people, not just art connoisseurs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s what I wanted for the Zack Gallery from the beginning,\u201d said gallery director Hope Forstenzer. \u201cI wanted to deepen the involvement of the JCC community in the gallery, wanted the art within people\u2019s reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Accordingly, this show looks more like a holiday craft fair than a high art exhibition.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe in the separation of art versus craft,\u201d said Forstenzer. \u201cFor me, craft is another word for art, but art that is functional and affordable, designed for enhancing your life and your home rather than a wall of a museum. I hope we can make such a show an annual event.\u201d<\/p>\n

To achieve the artisan market feel, Forstenzer invited 10 artists in different media to participate. \u201cThey are all local B.C. artists,\u201d she said. \u201cSome Jewish, some not. I wanted to cater to different tastes, to represent different artistic fields. I wanted the show to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Ceramics by Hitomi McKenzie.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The atmosphere of the show is jazzy and welcoming. The gicl\u00e9e prints of well-known Vancouver artist Linda Frimer glow with greens and blues. The glass and jewelry twinkle. The ceramics by Hitomi McKenzie stand proud and bright. Mariana Frochtengarten\u2019s colourful shawls in Shibori patterns add a touch of elegance.<\/p>\n

Frochtengarten teaches textile art at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver. \u201cThis is a great opportunity for me to show the community my personal work,\u201d she said. \u201cMy work is based on the principles of Shibori <\/em>\u2013 a Japanese manual tie-dye technique. I combine the ancient Japanese tradition with a contemporary approach.\u201d<\/p>\n

She works with natural fibres, mostly cotton and linen, and has been working as a textile artist for more than 25 years. \u201cMy way into textile art was a bit accidental,\u201d she told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cI was born in Brazil. When I was in high school, I took a batik class for a hobby, but I fell in love with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

After graduating from high school, she studied at Fine Arts and Education University in Brazil and later completed her master\u2019s in fine arts (textiles) at Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, in Halifax. \u201cFor 17 years, I worked with batik,\u201d she said. \u201cI had a business in Brazil and sold my works in stores, galleries, shows and fairs. I also experimented with some Shibori. I slowly moved on to my own form and interpretation of Japanese Shibori after moving to Canada in 2006. I love the elements of surprise involved in the process of Shibori and I am fascinated by the idea of creating different designs by blocking areas of the fabric before dyeing it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another artist who works with an unusual material and technique is Ande Axelrod. Her company, Treats Designs, produces whimsical and sophisticated tagua jewelry: necklaces, earrings, pendants, and bracelets. Axelrod is very enthusiastic about her artistic creations. \u201cTagua<\/em> is known as \u2018vegetable ivory,\u2019\u201d she explained. \u201cThe tagua palms are native to the rainforests of Ecuador and other South American countries. The nuts grow and harden inside their seedpods. Some tagua nuts can grow up to six centimetres. Once the seedpods are ripe, they\u2019re picked, and the seeds are dried in the sun, peeled and polished.\u201d<\/p>\n

The creamy white substance of the nuts is incredibly hard, similar to elephant ivory, hence the name. According to Wikipedia, a mature tagua palm can produce up to 20 pounds of vegetable ivory a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cTagua nuts have been used as a substitute for ivory since the early 20th century,\u201d Axelrod said. \u201cThe local masters carve the nuts into a variety of beads and buttons and dye them using bright natural colours.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
Mariana Frochtengarten shows of one of her colourful Shibori shawls.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She is thrilled to use tagua nuts as the base for her jewelry. \u201cI worked as a graphic designer for more than 25 years. In 2011, a friend and I took some jewelry making classes and I explored a variety of media and techniques. The next year, I discovered tagua while traveling in South America. I was dazzled by the colours, and I loved how light and comfortable the pieces were. You could wear a bigger statement necklace or a pair of earrings and not have a sore neck or headache at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sustainability and eco-friendliness of tagua sealed the deal for her. \u201cI wanted to save elephants and I was truly inspired by the vast creative potential of this versatile natural material. It also provides an economic incentive for the local communities to protect the rainforests,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Since then, Axelrod has developed a partnership with artisans in the village of Sosote, Ecuador, as her source for tagua beads. \u201cBefore COVID, I\u2019d made annual visits to Ecuador each February. It gave me the opportunity to work with tagua throughout the process, from seed to bead. Of course, like everyone else, I\u2019ve had to improvise these past two years. Zoom, WhatsApp, FedEx and Western Union have enabled me to stay in touch with my South American partners and get tagua here for me to create my jewelry.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Shibori scarves and tagua jewelry may more easily be thought of as unique artwork in the Vancouver context than photography perhaps, Michael Shevloff proves that he is an unquestionable master of the camera, producing his own singular creations. His images, both in colour and in black and white, are statements of his love for British Columbia: its forests, its mountains, its waterways, its streets.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do predominantly nature photography,\u201d he said. \u201cHowever, I also shoot street photography, portraits, and many other genres, both digital and film.\u201d<\/p>\n

For this show, Shevloff offers framed and matted photos and photo coasters. \u201cIn the past, I also produced books of my photos, collages, cushions and more. I even put one of my images on my phone cover. The choices are many, and there are online firms, as well as local places, that specialize in putting images on almost any surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has been taking photographs since he was a teenager. \u201cThat was a long time ago,\u201d he joked. \u201cI have albums filled with photographs from places I have worked and traveled throughout the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Shevloff, photography has always been a hobby, while he worked in information technology. It remains a hobby in his retirement, although he obviously has more time now to immerse in his artistic endeavours.<\/p>\n

\"photo<\/a>
\u201cTropical Vancouver,\u201d by Michael Shevloff.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI have taken classes with professional photographers to hone my craft. And I belong to two photo clubs in Vancouver,\u201d he said. \u201cVancouver PhotoClub is a well-organized group with monthly meetings and outings. I enjoy being a part of that club because they have assignments, which gives me a challenge and focus each month. They also organize exhibits, which gives me an opportunity to show my work.\u201d<\/p>\n

He belongs to the West End Photographic Society, as well. \u201cThat one is dedicated to film work and darkroom processing,\u201d he explained. \u201cThey also organize exhibits. I enjoy the challenge of working with film and working with prints.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 10 artists of this show incorporate different art forms, different artistic philosophies, different ethnic roots and different price ranges. But one fact unites them all \u2013 every piece of art in the gallery for the next month is affordable.<\/p>\n

The exhibit continues until Dec. 31.<\/p>\n

Olga Livshin<\/strong> is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ande Axelrod has developed a partnership with artisans in the village of Sosote, Ecuador, as her source for tagua beads. (photo from Zack Gallery) The current show at the Zack Gallery, Affordable, opened on Nov. 17. It delivers on its name\u2019s promise. Every item on display is less than $250 and thus in the realm […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":37936,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[989],"tags":[21057,7778,21055,21054,5136,8774,21056,2747,7885,40],"class_list":["post-37935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-visual-arts","tag-ande-axelrod","tag-arts","tag-crafts","tag-exhibit","tag-hope-forstenzer","tag-jewelry","tag-michael-shevloff","tag-photography","tag-textiles","tag-zack-gallery"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37935","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37935"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37935\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37936"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37935"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37935"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37935"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}