\u201cThe Culture Crawl offers a unique opportunity to connect with our communities, to support artists in their livelihoods, and to come away inspired and reinvigorated by the countless ways in which artists explore and share their creativity with the world,\u201d said Rausenberg, who is also the artistic and executive director of the Eastside Arts Society, which puts on the event.<\/p>\n
Birstein, who creates and showcases her work from her 1000 Parker Street studio, is a figurative artist whose ceramic sculptures and paintings are self-portraits connecting her to women of history and mythology.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am merging my own personal narratives with the narratives of inspiring women artists whose lives and art \u2018embrace enchanting intrigues\u2019 to transcend life\u2019s challenges,\u201d she explained. \u201cThis includes Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Vali Myers, Artemesia Gentileschi and Niki de Saint Phalle,\u201d as well as figures like Athena and Alice in Wonderland.<\/p>\n Her upcoming solo retrospective, curated by Dr. Angela Clarke at Il Museo, is now scheduled for 2026, rather than next year, which is what was originally planned. The retrospective will combine her Tsipora and Ladies-Not-Waiting series.<\/p>\n \u201cThis past year has brought me two profound highlights that resonate deeply in my artwork,\u201d said Birstein. \u201cFirst, I\u2019ve embraced the idea that the Tsiporas \u2013 my Hebrew name, meaning \u2018Bird\u2019 \u2013 have always been part of the Ladies-Not-Waiting.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the personal side, my husband courageously and successfully underwent two major surgeries in 2024, which deepened my appreciation for life and the importance of love and compassion. Additionally, our daughter-in-law became a permanent resident of Canada, allowing our family to thrive together.<\/p>\n \u201cThese experiences have infused my art with newfound freedom, imagination, and a willingness to experiment with construction, colour and concept. Each piece I create reflects this journey and the richness of these connections, as with my Ladies-Not-Waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n Birstein and fellow Crawl artist Lori Goldberg spent October in Italy on a self-directed residency, which comprised four segments, each with its own and overlapping purposes, said Birstein.<\/p>\n They explored art at Venice Biennale and other exhibits in Venice. They went to Amalfi, where, Birstein said, \u201cI created a most special and memorable experience \u2013 to visit Gianni Menichetti, who was the partner of Vali Myers (one of my artists). In a valley above Positano, Gianni lives off the grid with his family of animals \u2013 10 dogs, ancient doves, chickens, fish, a rooster and others. Gianni himself is a well-known poet, artist, writer, as well as protector and preserver of the land and its natural inhabitants. He\u2019s a most unique human being. Although we were only together for 24 hours, it is as though we have always known each other and always will.\u201d<\/p>\n In Napoli, said Birstein, \u201cwithin the ancient graffiti-covered walls of this chaotic, lively city, we [were] exploring, experimenting and expressing evolving directions for our art practice.\u201d<\/p>\n Lastly, they went to the island of Ischia for a family celebration, visiting thermal springs, gardens and the sea.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are moments in my life when personal and global experiences intertwine \u2013 what I like to call destiny with focus,\u201d said Birstein. \u201cMy Italian adventure, from connecting with Gianni in Positano, family in Ischia and gallerists in Naples, to engaging with art at the Venice Biennale, inspires every aspect of my life. I sense that I\u2019m in the midst of crafting my next \u2018big story,\u2019 which will undoubtedly reflect in my evolving art practice. These experiences shape not just who I am, but also how I create.\u201d<\/p>\n Ceramics and glass artist Hope Forstenzer is also expanding the way she creates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI got a grant to learn woodworking throughout 2024, and that\u2019s been a big highlight,\u201d she told the Independent<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019ve been working to make pieces that use both glass and wood, and it\u2019s been exciting and challenging to learn a whole new medium. My progress has been slow and steady, and some of the work I made will be in the Crawl this year.\u201d<\/p>\n This is Forstenzer\u2019s third year of making clocks for the Crawl, and she said she\u2019s really been enjoying the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThis year, I\u2019m experimenting with different colours and patterns, and I\u2019ve also got one that\u2019s in a stained-glass panel in a wood frame I made. I\u2019ve spent more time with clockworks and hand design, as well, and am experimenting with different materials for those aspects of the clocks.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to the clocks, visitors to Forstenzer\u2019s studio in the Mergatroid Building, 975 Vernon Dr., will see her stained-glass panels in wood frames, blown seder plates, dreidel blown ornaments, small blown lamps with battery-powered LEDs inside, and some vessels and bowls.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of my roles at Terminal City Glass Co-op is the coordinator of the Learning Fire Program, and I\u2019ll be doing a glassblowing demonstration with some of our students on Saturday the 16th from 1:15-3:15,\u201d said Forstenzer.<\/p>\n For more about Learning Fire, visit terminalcityglass.com\/pages\/learning-fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n Both Birstein and Forstenzer have works in the Culture Crawl\u2019s preview exhibition, which runs to Nov. 29 at Pendulum Gallery, Alternative Creations Gallery, the Cultch and Charles Clark Gallery, with display dates depending on the venue.<\/p>\n![\"photo](\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/nov-08-VA.08.Culture-Crawl-Suzy-Birstein-22Im-going-with-myself22.jpg\")
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