Elizabeth Shefrin
Sima Elizabeth Shefrin played as a toddler in the galleries of Italy and has been creating art ever since. As well as the occasional curating gigs, she has been working professionally as a visual artist for 35 years and has shown throughout North America.
Her curatorial roles have included Provincial Coordinator of Images & Objects, the visual arts component of the BC Festival of the Arts, Artist/Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Quilt, and international community arts project which toured North America for a decade, guest curator for Gallery Gachet for Will the Real Artist Please Stand Up, and Exhibit Designer for the Surrey Arts Centre Exhibit of From the Inside/Out! presented by the BC Association for Community Living and the BC Self-Advocacy Foundation. In addition Elizabeth worked as visual arts and outreach coordinator for Kickstart 2001, and as co-curator for Borg Again, Kickstart 2004, Island Artists, and Heroes, all projects of Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture.
Elizabeth has recently turned to book illustration and has four books to her credit: Abby's Birds written by Ellen Schwartz (Tradewind), Latkes written by Bob Bossin (Nick Books), Once Upon a Bathtime written by Vi Hughes and Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts, a Literary Cookbook, written by Heidi E.Y. Stemple and Jane Yolen (Tradewind).
Elizabeth lives and creates on Gabriola Island, British Columbia.
Elizabeth & Magic/Realism:
This year is my fifth season working for Kickstart, and my sixth opportunity to co-curate the Disability Arts visual art show. Apart from the surprises of aging, I consider myself to be a relatively able-bodied person. I’ve avoided being diagnosed by the mental health system, and except for the fact that I’m recovering from a major car accident, my body works reasonably well.
I have always worked with a co-curator who identifies as having a disability. Over the years I’ve worked with four different co-curators, and in each case my colleague has been a professional in the field, intelligent, experienced and imaginative. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to do this work, and to absorb the learning that has come with it.
Working with the artists, getting to know them and listening to their stories has been a real pleasure. Of course many artists work effectively on their own. But occasionally I have had the privilege of helping to nurse a collection of stray ideas into a strong, well-crafted piece of art. As an artist myself, the contact with other artists and their work helps keep my own creativity flowing.
The design of the show is another satisfying aspect of the work. What’s the strongest arrangement of the moveable walls? Which pieces will enhance and complement the ones around it? How can we highlight the relationship two particular pieces have with each other so they can engage in visual “conversation”? The strategies of a well-designed show are invisible, leaving the viewer to see, in its best setting, each individual piece of work.
Of course I do none of this alone, and I have a few thank yous. The first one goes to former artistic director, Geoff McMurchy, who has brought me into every festival, been patient with my mistakes and early moments of awkwardness, and expressed constant confidence in my ability to do my job, and modeled such dedication to the project that the rest of us couldn’t help but put in our best.
I’d also like to appreciate Emma Kivisild and Nisse Gustafson, the current artistic and administrative directors, who have taken over the very complex challenge of producing this fabulous festival.
Thank you to my colleague, Bernadine Fox who not only brings in fresh ideas and skills, but with whom I have a working rhythm which makes co-curating with her a real pleasure. And most of all, thank you to each of the artists who have trusted us with your ideas and your work.
Contact Information for Elizabeth Shefrin
[email protected]
www.stitchingforsocialchange.ca
www.middleeastpeacequilt.ca
Sima Elizabeth Shefrin played as a toddler in the galleries of Italy and has been creating art ever since. As well as the occasional curating gigs, she has been working professionally as a visual artist for 35 years and has shown throughout North America.
Her curatorial roles have included Provincial Coordinator of Images & Objects, the visual arts component of the BC Festival of the Arts, Artist/Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Quilt, and international community arts project which toured North America for a decade, guest curator for Gallery Gachet for Will the Real Artist Please Stand Up, and Exhibit Designer for the Surrey Arts Centre Exhibit of From the Inside/Out! presented by the BC Association for Community Living and the BC Self-Advocacy Foundation. In addition Elizabeth worked as visual arts and outreach coordinator for Kickstart 2001, and as co-curator for Borg Again, Kickstart 2004, Island Artists, and Heroes, all projects of Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture.
Elizabeth has recently turned to book illustration and has four books to her credit: Abby's Birds written by Ellen Schwartz (Tradewind), Latkes written by Bob Bossin (Nick Books), Once Upon a Bathtime written by Vi Hughes and Jewish Fairy Tale Feasts, a Literary Cookbook, written by Heidi E.Y. Stemple and Jane Yolen (Tradewind).
Elizabeth lives and creates on Gabriola Island, British Columbia.
Elizabeth & Magic/Realism:
This year is my fifth season working for Kickstart, and my sixth opportunity to co-curate the Disability Arts visual art show. Apart from the surprises of aging, I consider myself to be a relatively able-bodied person. I’ve avoided being diagnosed by the mental health system, and except for the fact that I’m recovering from a major car accident, my body works reasonably well.
I have always worked with a co-curator who identifies as having a disability. Over the years I’ve worked with four different co-curators, and in each case my colleague has been a professional in the field, intelligent, experienced and imaginative. I am honoured to have had the opportunity to do this work, and to absorb the learning that has come with it.
Working with the artists, getting to know them and listening to their stories has been a real pleasure. Of course many artists work effectively on their own. But occasionally I have had the privilege of helping to nurse a collection of stray ideas into a strong, well-crafted piece of art. As an artist myself, the contact with other artists and their work helps keep my own creativity flowing.
The design of the show is another satisfying aspect of the work. What’s the strongest arrangement of the moveable walls? Which pieces will enhance and complement the ones around it? How can we highlight the relationship two particular pieces have with each other so they can engage in visual “conversation”? The strategies of a well-designed show are invisible, leaving the viewer to see, in its best setting, each individual piece of work.
Of course I do none of this alone, and I have a few thank yous. The first one goes to former artistic director, Geoff McMurchy, who has brought me into every festival, been patient with my mistakes and early moments of awkwardness, and expressed constant confidence in my ability to do my job, and modeled such dedication to the project that the rest of us couldn’t help but put in our best.
I’d also like to appreciate Emma Kivisild and Nisse Gustafson, the current artistic and administrative directors, who have taken over the very complex challenge of producing this fabulous festival.
Thank you to my colleague, Bernadine Fox who not only brings in fresh ideas and skills, but with whom I have a working rhythm which makes co-curating with her a real pleasure. And most of all, thank you to each of the artists who have trusted us with your ideas and your work.
Contact Information for Elizabeth Shefrin
[email protected]
www.stitchingforsocialchange.ca
www.middleeastpeacequilt.ca
Bernadine Fox
Seasoned with a well-lived life, Bernadine Fox’s difficult childhood, an unconventional background, a disability, and a willingness to examine tough (often taboo) issues, she offers a fresh socio-political portrayal of our culture and an intimate entry point into the human psyche. Since she was a small child sitting at the family dinner table acutely aware of the dynamics at play, Bernadine Fox has been fascinated by the human condition and our interpersonal relationships. Ethnographic-based, Bernadine’s work broadens that intimate experience of home and family to the larger community exploring our sense of identity. By weaving colours, objects, and words, she constructs narratives within her art as she examines the cultural issues faced by contemporary society.
Bernadine Fox trained at the Alberta College of Art and Design and Douglas College in BC but obtained her BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in Vancouver, BC where she studied both drawing and animation (classical and computer). After graduating, Fox worked as a Film Producer/Production Manager for both film and animation projects. She volunteered her expertise on the Boards of various art organizations including Women in Film, CARFAC, BC and the Society for Disability Arts & Culture. She is a member of CARFAC, BC and a signatory to the Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective. For over a decade, Fox was an internationally recognized consultant/educator/support worker who worked with women who had experienced severe childhood trauma. It was this work that inspired her to follow a passion for art and writing. Bernadine teaches drawing and has developed classes for individuals who are able-bodied and for those who have a range of physical challenges. As a lecturer, she engages audience in looking at the important role art has to play in our society. As a curator, Bernadine can take a gallery's thematic vision for their exhibition and work with the artists to bring that vision to fruition in a professional, coherent show historically grounded in art but with an innovative twist. She has curated several art exhibits over the past many years for a variety of organizations.
Bernadine’s art has gained considerable attention and is now held in private collections across North America including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Calgary and Vancouver and internationally in Europe and Australia. She has exhibited throughout Canada in a variety of venues from solo, two-person and group exhibitions in artist-run centres and commercial galleries. She lives and creates in East Vancouver where she raises her granddaughter and works out of the Parker Studios.
For more information on Bernadine Fox, her work or her curatorial approach visit her website at www.bernadinefox.ca.
Bernadine & Magic/Realism:
There are some little known facts about the impact of art on our social fabric. Quantitative research, in numerous countries including Canada, have shown that participating in culture will reduce one’s blood pressure, decrease the amount of pain medication that patients need, reduce the number of falls elderly folks have, and if all one does is sit in a concert or walk through an art gallery they are 60% more likely to live longer than another who doesn’t. In fact, “art gallery attendance has a statistically significant connection with ….. [several] social indicators.” Those who attended reported better physical and mental health. They volunteered their time more often. They experienced more freedom in their day and were much more likely to report strong satisfaction in their lives. It is an established fact, art has a profound impact on our physical and emotional health and ought to be prescribed along with vitamins, exercise, and pain medication. Just imagine how remarkable our society could be if we all embraced the arts instead of relegating it to the frivolous sidelines in our schools and social programs.
Individuals with disabilities often have had the dubious privilege of access to art programs. Privileged because they had more opportunity to discover these unacknowledged benefits of utilizing art in the service to their health. Dubious because, despite being professional artists, so often their work is relegated to the category of hobby-art and art-as-therapy (therefore, not serious). Even without the access to these research studies, folks with disability know full well even if it is only on an experiential basis that is evident by how we feel in our bodies and in our hearts. And so how apropos that a group of folks with disabilities will use art to look at how magic and fantasy impact on how we cope with our day to day reality
This is my second curatorial opportunity with Kickstart and the Society for Disability Arts and Culture curating the art exhibit for their bi-annual festival. The first was Heroes in 2010. As then, I am honored to be able to use my skills to put together a first rate exhibit on behalf of the artists involved.
As Elizabeth did, I thank Geoff McMurchy who remains a guiding beacon as we go about the task of putting this exhibition together. I also thank Emma Kivisld for her artistic direction and Nisse Gustafson for keeping the helm of this festival together. My biggest thanks is to Elizabeth Shefrin, my co-curator, whose work and energy makes putting together these exhibitions possible and brings a wealth of information that I would be lost without. We share a working relationship that is seamless and I cherish it. And last, I want to appreciate all the artists who submitted art and those who were accepted into this exhibition for demonstrating the way to utilize our experience of the magical to benefit our reality.
Contact Information for Bernadine Fox
cell: (778) 869-0733
email: [email protected]
online portfolio & website: www.bernadinefox.ca
Linkedin: Bernadine Fox
twitter: @bernadinefox
facebook: facebook.com/bernadine.fox
blog: http://bernadinesblog.blogspot.com/
YouTube: foxbernadine
Sign Up for Bernadine's eBlast
Seasoned with a well-lived life, Bernadine Fox’s difficult childhood, an unconventional background, a disability, and a willingness to examine tough (often taboo) issues, she offers a fresh socio-political portrayal of our culture and an intimate entry point into the human psyche. Since she was a small child sitting at the family dinner table acutely aware of the dynamics at play, Bernadine Fox has been fascinated by the human condition and our interpersonal relationships. Ethnographic-based, Bernadine’s work broadens that intimate experience of home and family to the larger community exploring our sense of identity. By weaving colours, objects, and words, she constructs narratives within her art as she examines the cultural issues faced by contemporary society.
Bernadine Fox trained at the Alberta College of Art and Design and Douglas College in BC but obtained her BFA from the Emily Carr Institute of Art & Design in Vancouver, BC where she studied both drawing and animation (classical and computer). After graduating, Fox worked as a Film Producer/Production Manager for both film and animation projects. She volunteered her expertise on the Boards of various art organizations including Women in Film, CARFAC, BC and the Society for Disability Arts & Culture. She is a member of CARFAC, BC and a signatory to the Canadian Artists Representation Copyright Collective. For over a decade, Fox was an internationally recognized consultant/educator/support worker who worked with women who had experienced severe childhood trauma. It was this work that inspired her to follow a passion for art and writing. Bernadine teaches drawing and has developed classes for individuals who are able-bodied and for those who have a range of physical challenges. As a lecturer, she engages audience in looking at the important role art has to play in our society. As a curator, Bernadine can take a gallery's thematic vision for their exhibition and work with the artists to bring that vision to fruition in a professional, coherent show historically grounded in art but with an innovative twist. She has curated several art exhibits over the past many years for a variety of organizations.
Bernadine’s art has gained considerable attention and is now held in private collections across North America including New York, Toronto, Los Angeles, Calgary and Vancouver and internationally in Europe and Australia. She has exhibited throughout Canada in a variety of venues from solo, two-person and group exhibitions in artist-run centres and commercial galleries. She lives and creates in East Vancouver where she raises her granddaughter and works out of the Parker Studios.
For more information on Bernadine Fox, her work or her curatorial approach visit her website at www.bernadinefox.ca.
Bernadine & Magic/Realism:
There are some little known facts about the impact of art on our social fabric. Quantitative research, in numerous countries including Canada, have shown that participating in culture will reduce one’s blood pressure, decrease the amount of pain medication that patients need, reduce the number of falls elderly folks have, and if all one does is sit in a concert or walk through an art gallery they are 60% more likely to live longer than another who doesn’t. In fact, “art gallery attendance has a statistically significant connection with ….. [several] social indicators.” Those who attended reported better physical and mental health. They volunteered their time more often. They experienced more freedom in their day and were much more likely to report strong satisfaction in their lives. It is an established fact, art has a profound impact on our physical and emotional health and ought to be prescribed along with vitamins, exercise, and pain medication. Just imagine how remarkable our society could be if we all embraced the arts instead of relegating it to the frivolous sidelines in our schools and social programs.
Individuals with disabilities often have had the dubious privilege of access to art programs. Privileged because they had more opportunity to discover these unacknowledged benefits of utilizing art in the service to their health. Dubious because, despite being professional artists, so often their work is relegated to the category of hobby-art and art-as-therapy (therefore, not serious). Even without the access to these research studies, folks with disability know full well even if it is only on an experiential basis that is evident by how we feel in our bodies and in our hearts. And so how apropos that a group of folks with disabilities will use art to look at how magic and fantasy impact on how we cope with our day to day reality
This is my second curatorial opportunity with Kickstart and the Society for Disability Arts and Culture curating the art exhibit for their bi-annual festival. The first was Heroes in 2010. As then, I am honored to be able to use my skills to put together a first rate exhibit on behalf of the artists involved.
As Elizabeth did, I thank Geoff McMurchy who remains a guiding beacon as we go about the task of putting this exhibition together. I also thank Emma Kivisld for her artistic direction and Nisse Gustafson for keeping the helm of this festival together. My biggest thanks is to Elizabeth Shefrin, my co-curator, whose work and energy makes putting together these exhibitions possible and brings a wealth of information that I would be lost without. We share a working relationship that is seamless and I cherish it. And last, I want to appreciate all the artists who submitted art and those who were accepted into this exhibition for demonstrating the way to utilize our experience of the magical to benefit our reality.
Contact Information for Bernadine Fox
cell: (778) 869-0733
email: [email protected]
online portfolio & website: www.bernadinefox.ca
Linkedin: Bernadine Fox
twitter: @bernadinefox
facebook: facebook.com/bernadine.fox
blog: http://bernadinesblog.blogspot.com/
YouTube: foxbernadine
Sign Up for Bernadine's eBlast
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