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Tag: Terminal City Glass Co-op

Eastside artists open studios

Eastside artists open studios

A stained-glass panel in a wood frame by Hope Forstenzer. (photo by Hope Forstenzer)

More than 500 artists are opening their studios, galleries or workshops to the public Nov. 14-17 for the 28th annual Eastside Culture Crawl Visual Arts, Design & Craft Festival. Among the artists are many Jewish community members, including Suzy Birstein, Olga Campbell, Ana Clara Feldman, Hope Forstenzer, penny eisenberg, Lori Goldberg, Lynna Goldhar Smith, Ideet Sharon, Stacy Lederman, Shevy Levy, Lauren Morris and Esther Rausenberg. 

“The 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,” said Rausenberg, who is also the artistic and executive director of the Eastside Arts Society, which puts on the event.

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. 

“I am merging my own personal narratives with the narratives of inspiring women artists whose lives and art ‘embrace enchanting intrigues’ to transcend life’s challenges,” she explained. “This includes Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Vali Myers, Artemesia Gentileschi and Niki de Saint Phalle,” as well as figures like Athena and Alice in Wonderland.

photo - “I’m Going With Myself” by Suzy Birstein
“I’m Going With Myself” by Suzy Birstein. (photo by Byron Dauncey)

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.

“This past year has brought me two profound highlights that resonate deeply in my artwork,” said Birstein. “First, I’ve embraced the idea that the Tsiporas – my Hebrew name, meaning ‘Bird’ – have always been part of the Ladies-Not-Waiting.

“On 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.

“These 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.”

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.

They explored art at Venice Biennale and other exhibits in Venice. They went to Amalfi, where, Birstein said, “I created a most special and memorable experience – 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 – 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’s 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.”

In Napoli, said Birstein, “within the ancient graffiti-covered walls of this chaotic, lively city, we [were] exploring, experimenting and expressing evolving directions for our art practice.”

Lastly, they went to the island of Ischia for a family celebration, visiting thermal springs, gardens and the sea.

photo - "You sing my songs" by Suzy Birstein
“You sing my songs” by Suzy Birstein. (photo by Alan @ Fidelis Art Prints)

“There are moments in my life when personal and global experiences intertwine – what I like to call destiny with focus,” said Birstein. “My 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’m in the midst of crafting my next ‘big story,’ which will undoubtedly reflect in my evolving art practice. These experiences shape not just who I am, but also how I create.”

Ceramics and glass artist Hope Forstenzer is also expanding the way she creates. 

“I got a grant to learn woodworking throughout 2024, and that’s been a big highlight,” she told the Independent. “I’ve been working to make pieces that use both glass and wood, and it’s 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.”

This is Forstenzer’s third year of making clocks for the Crawl, and she said she’s really been enjoying the process. 

“This year, I’m experimenting with different colours and patterns, and I’ve also got one that’s in a stained-glass panel in a wood frame I made. I’ve spent more time with clockworks and hand design, as well, and am experimenting with different materials for those aspects of the clocks.”

photo - A seder plate by Hope Forstenzer
A seder plate by Hope Forstenzer. (photo by Hope Forstenzer)

In addition to the clocks, visitors to Forstenzer’s 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.

“One of my roles at Terminal City Glass Co-op is the coordinator of the Learning Fire Program, and I’ll be doing a glassblowing demonstration with some of our students on Saturday the 16th from 1:15-3:15,” said Forstenzer.

For more about Learning Fire, visit terminalcityglass.com/pages/learning-fire.

Both Birstein and Forstenzer have works in the Culture Crawl’s 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.

For the full list of events and participating artists, go to culturecrawl.ca. 

Format ImagePosted on November 8, 2024November 7, 2024Author Cynthia RamsayCategories Visual ArtsTags 1000 Parker Street, art, Eastside Culture Crawl, glass, glass-blowing, Hope Forstenzer, Mergatroid Building, painting, sculpture, Suzy Birstein, Terminal City Glass Co-op
Zack Gallery’s new director

Zack Gallery’s new director

Former Zack Gallery director Linda Lando, left, with new director Hope Forstenzer. (photo by Daniel Wajsman)

The Sidney and Gertrude Zack Gallery at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver has a new director, Hope Forstenzer – one of the few directors in the gallery’s history to be a professional artist.

Forstenzer is a graphic designer and a glass artist; she is a member of the Terminal City Glass Co-op. She takes over the reins of the Zack Gallery from Linda Lando, who retired at the end of last year.

“I have a background in visual art and performing art,” Forstenzer told the Independent. “For years, I was the artistic director of a multimedia company in New York. We worked on short plays: judged them and then produced them around New York. It was an amazing job, very interesting, but it didn’t pay my bills. For that, I worked as a graphic designer.”

She also taught graphic design, first in the United States – New York, Seattle and Baltimore – and, later, in Vancouver, after her wife accepted a job at B.C. Children’s Hospital in 2012 and the family moved here. Forstenzer has been teaching graphic design at Emily Carr University of Art + Design and at Simon Fraser University.

The artist began working with glass in 2001, while still in New York. She liked it so much that she made it her principal medium. A number of glass shows in Seattle and Vancouver have included her pieces.

“I had two solo shows for my glass, both here in B.C.,” she added. “I also participated in a group show at the Zack in 2015.”

The life of a freelance artist is a hectic one. Forstenzer has had to juggle her teaching schedule and studio time, plus a family with young children. She longed for more professional stability.

“I started looking for a steady part-time job,” she said, “then I heard Linda Lando was retiring from the Zack. I always loved this gallery and its artists, loved the JCC. I decided to apply for the job. I’ve worked in leadership positions in the art field all my life, so this job seemed perfect, both in its essence and its timing.”

Her plans for the gallery are extensive. “I want to do at least as well as Linda did. She was a marvelous director, so I have big shoes to fill.”

Forstenzer is already working on future shows, both solo and group exhibitions, in various artistic formats. “I love diversity,” she said. “But a group show might be harder in some ways to jury and organize. Art is always subjective and, in a group show, some people will always like certain artists more than others. The trick is to make it work for the majority…. When a curator assembles a group show, it is a collaboration, like putting together a puzzle, making as little dissonance as possible from the disparate pieces. On the other hand, in a solo show, you create a flow of energy.”

With regard to the gallery and its place in the community, Forstenzer said, “I want to make sure the gallery is connected to the JCC. We are part of it, and that should be emphasized. It doesn’t mean only Jewish artists – the JCC has a diverse membership, it draws in people of all ages, skills and cultural influences. I want to reflect that in our future shows and programs. Linda started that with her amazing poetry series. I want to do more. Children’s programs. Sessions for older citizens. Workshops for families. I want interactions with the gallery. I want our visitors to be part of the shows.”

As for the artists, she said, “I want to create a nurturing environment for them in the gallery, want to encourage younger artists, not just in age but in experience. Some people only start in the arts after they retire, and their mastery in other areas makes them unique in artistic venues. I want to establish a relationship with our artists, so they will trust me.”

Forstenzer is sure that her being an artist herself is an asset for her work as gallery director. “I’m not only an artist, I’m a fan of the arts, of beautiful things of any kind. It’s not really that common. Many artists are not fans, they prefer their own art to anyone else’s, but I love art. When I visit a museum or a gallery, I want to absorb as much as I can of the other artists’ imaginations.”

Her years as an artist and as an art administrator give her a unique perspective – to see the gallery from both sides. “I can advocate for the artists,” she said, “but I also can and will represent the gallery and its patrons.”

While acting as the gallery director, Forstenzer said she will not exhibit her own work at the Zack. “It would be a conflict of interest,” she said. “I’ll never exhibit here. I will participate in the Terminal City Glass Co-op’s group shows as a glass artist, but, at the Zack, I’m the director, not an artist. I will keep a hard line between my glass-blowing and my gallery.”

To learn more about Forstenzer’s glassworks, visit her website, hopeforstenzer.com.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at olgagodim@gmail.com.

***

Editor’s Note: This article has been corrected to reflect the fact that Hope Forstenzer was not the first Zack Gallery director to be a professional artist, but rather is one of the few directors in the gallery’s history to be a professional artist.

Format ImagePosted on February 21, 2020February 24, 2020Author Olga LivshinCategories Visual ArtsTags art, glass-making, Hope Forstenzer, Linda Lando, Terminal City Glass Co-op, Zack Gallery
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