JOIN IN CREATING A COLLABORATIVE ART INSTALLATION WITH FELLOW MUSLIM AND JEWISH WOMEN ARTISTS

$10 | FREE for students (includes lunch)

Advanced registration required by January 12.

Before completing the participant registration, please read this page in full and then follow this link to register.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

The grassroots Shema & Iqra': The Jewish-Muslim Text Project, founded by Dr. Shari Golberg, brings together Muslims and Jews using religious texts as a springboard for dialogue. In early 2016, Shema & Iqra' ran a textual-study and arts collective for Jewish and Muslim women artists exploring menstruation, breastfeeding and mourning through the relationship between gender, creativity and identity in each tradition.

FENTSTER (Yiddish for ‘window’) is a new exhibition space, curated by Evelyn Tauben, in the storefront window of the grassroots community Makom at 402 College Street. An independent artist-run initiative, FENTSTER presents site-specific installations of contemporary art connected to the Jewish experience. FENTSTER joins with Shema & Iqra’ to bring the initial Blood, Milk and Tears participants together with other women artists to create a collaborative installation considering women’s roles in relation to traditional texts that have often marginalized them because of their bodies – bodies that menstruate, nourish others and weep in mourning.

ABOUT THE PROCESS

The creation of the installation will emerge out of another text study process on Sunday, January 15 led by Golberg (Religion PhD, University of Toronto) together with Dr. Nevin Reda (Assistant Professor of Muslim Studies, Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto). Textual sources from Muslim and Jewish traditions will be examined and lead into work on the installation piece facilitated by established artist Rochelle Rubinstein.

Participants will be provided with a 10’ paper scroll. The final installation will be a dense assemblage of multiple scrolls hanging in the window. The scrolls can be painted, cut, printed, scribed, or embroidered, to name a few approaches. The creative process will be open and fluid. Joint collaboration on scrolls is strongly encouraged. To that end, participants are expected to join two group creation days as well as the launch event on January 15.

If you have questions or if the registration fee is prohibitive, please contact us at info@fentster.org

KEY DATES FOR PARTICIPANTS

• Project Launch | Sunday, January 15 | The Multi-Faith Centre (advanced registration required)
• Collaborative Creation Days | Sunday, January 29 & Sunday, February 12 | 1 – 3 PM | Studio in Kensington Market (address sent to confirmed project registrants) It may be possible to continue working until 4 pm, schedule of host permitting.
• Deadline to Submit Scrolls | Tuesday, February 21| Makom, 402 College Street
• Project Installed | Thursday, February 23
• Opening Event | Wednesday, March 8 | 7 – 9 PM (International Women’s Day) | FENTSTER, 402 College Street
• Blood, Milk & Tears Event | Sunday, April 30 | Noor Cultural Centre, 123 Wynford Drive

PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE FOR JANUARY 15*

• 10:30AM | Welcome from FENTSTER Curator Evelyn Tauben followed by text study led by Dr. Shari Golberg (Shema and Iqra’) & Dr. Nevin Reda (Emmanuel College, University of Toronto)
• Noon | Lunch (Kosher, halal vegetarian lunch provided as part of registration fee. This is an eco-friendly event, please bring your own dishware and cutlery if possible.)
• 1 PM | Introduction to the FENTSTER collaborative installation project by facilitator artist Rochelle Rubinstein. Scrolls distributed to participating artists. Time to begin work on the scrolls, exchanging ideas, brainstorming, sketching, etc. Please bring supplies needed for your work.
• 3 PM | Blood, Milk and Tears launch event concludes

* schedule subject to change

Presented by FENTSTER: A Window Onto Jewish Life Through Art and Shema & Iqra’: The Jewish-Muslim Text Project as part of the Myseum Intersections Festival

Community Partners: Noor Cultural Centre, University of Toronto Multi-Faith Centre, Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism  and Emmanuel College of Victoria University in the University of Toronto

Myseum Intersections is an annual festival showcasing different perspectives on the city's natural, cultural and historic diversity. This year's theme, Envisioning Toronto, explores Toronto’s many communities, cultures and characters.

[IMAGE: Tear Print by Rochelle Rubinstein, 2016]

THIS PROJECT IS FOR YOU IF:

• You identify as a Muslim or Jewish woman over the age of 18
• You identify as an artist whether or not you work in the visual arts. There are ways for writers, calligraphers, musicians and performers to connect with and contribute to this project. If you have questions about getting involved, please do not hesitate to contact our curator, Evelyn Tauben at info@fentster.org to set-up a time to discuss further.
• You are committed to cross-cultural dialogue and exchange.

ADDITIONAL IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ARTISTS INVOLVED IN THE INSTALLATION

FENTSTER WILL:

• provide one paper scroll (approximately 8 inches wide and 10 feet long) to each artist who commits to the process of creating a piece for the installation in our window gallery. If that scroll is damaged or lost or a replacement is required, it will be the responsibility of the individual artist to replace it with the same paper that is being used for the whole project.
• acknowledge all artists who made work for the installation on the website and in the didactic signage as well as on related promotional materials (space permitted).
• provide a modest honourarium to all artists who participate in creating a piece for the installation in the FENTSTER window gallery, pending the results of outstanding grant applications and the final number of participants.
• retain the completed scrolls as the property of FENTSTER both during the exhibition and upon its completion.
• reserve the right to create digital reproductions of the final works of art for future use.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS ARE EXPECTED TO:

• provide their own materials (with the exception of the scrolls),
• commit to the participating in the whole collaborative process including the January 15 launch event, the creation days on January 29 and February 12 and attending the opening event on March 8. (Please contact us if you have existing conflicts. We would like to make it possible for everyone who would like to participate to do so.)
• come to the  January 15 launch event with some pre-developed ideas and sketches