Grand Opening of The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University

A New Era for the Arts at York University Begins with Inaugural Exhibitions and an Opening Celebration

Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | 7:00pm – 10:00pm
New Location: 83a York Boulevard, York University, Toronto
TheGoldfarbGallery.ca

The Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) is honoured to announce our transformation into The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University. This significant transition, marked by the grand opening of a stunning new stand-alone gallery and the launch of three new exhibitions, has been made possible through the generosity and vision of our patrons, Joan and Martin Goldfarb. Their longstanding commitment to the arts at York University is embodied in this newly constructed gallery designed by iconic architect Siamak Hariri.

The new gallery, with its butterfly-inspired design, features three distinct exhibition spaces and a multi-functional event and performance Pavilion. A central reception area connects the gallery’s four unique wings, creating a distinctive landmark for the university and the surrounding arts community. Situated at the heart of the School of the Arts, Media, Performance and Design, this new space promises to be a beacon for artistic research and engagement that comes alive through exhibitions, performances, and workshops.

As this new chapter begins we invite you to join us in celebrating The Goldfarb Gallery, a space and art organization that embodies a deep commitment to artistic practices, education, and community engagement, made tangible through our inaugural exhibitions. For this premiere series of exhibitions, we present a poignant merging of artists and artworks, giving meaning and weight to this transformative moment. We are humbled to present Plains Horizon by the renowned artist Lori Blondeau in a newly commissioned solo exhibition, incorporating stones collected from the gallery’s site as the grounding for an opulent installation featuring a painting by her mother from 1949. Building off Blondeau’s action of gathering stones, we present the cogent and striking group exhibition Manual Assembly featuring nine artists who use accumulation and assemblage as the basis for the construction of both form and meaning, entwining material experimentation with personal experiences, economic histories, and ecological impact. We also open Abstract Legacies, an exhibition about the significance of the University’s art collection in relation to its identity. And, in celebration of opening our new Visible Vault, we present a series of never exhibited artworks from the collection.

Please join us as we open The Goldfarb Gallery, the manifestation of years of vision, collaboration, and dedication, on Wednesday, November 13, 7:00 – 10:00pm at our new location, 83a York Boulevard, Toronto. Food and beverages will served with remarks and a performance by Lori Blondeau.

Inaugural Exhibitions:

Manual Assembly: Fragments of a Whole
El Anatsui, Kevin Beasley, Wally Dion, Anthony Douglas Cooper, Jeneen Frei Njootli, Kelly Jazvac, Gabrielle L’Hirondelle Hill, Jenine Marsh, and Rosie Lee Tompkins

Plains Horizon
Lori Blondeau

Abstract Legacies
Paul-Émile Borduas, Jack Bush, Alexander Calder, Sorel Etrog, Helen Frankenthaler, Roy Kenzie Kiyooka, Henry Moore, Robert Motherwell, Kenneth Noland, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Frank Stella, and Françoise Sullivan

From the Visible Vault
Carl Beam, David General, David Ruben Piqtoukun, Abraham Angik Ruben, and Tim Whiten

Tracks and traces and changes (Sand Prints)
Shannon Garden-Smith

For more information, please contact:
Maria Won, Gallery Administration Assistant

The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University
83a York Boulevard
Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3
TheGoldfarbGallery.ca

The Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery of York University is a socially minded not-for-profit contemporary art gallery that is a space for the creation and appreciation of art and culture. It is a supported Unit of York University within the President’s Division. We are externally funded as a public art gallery through the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, the Toronto Arts Council, local and international foundations, embassies, and our membership who support our programs.

The Goldfarb Gallery acknowledges our presence on the ancestral territory of the Anishinabek Nation, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and the Huron-Wendat. We offer this land acknowledgement as an expression of gratitude and appreciation to those on whose territory we reside. It is a small way of honouring the Indigenous people who have for generations cared for this land and its waterways. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the history of what has brought us to reside here and understand our place within this history.

We are cognizant that we cannot separate the histories of York University from the history of settler colonialism and slavery in Canada, and in this regard, we also recognize thousands of African descendants have been enslaved, displaced, and judicialized on this same territory. Today, in Toronto, non-Indigenous people exist as settlers and as displaced peoples on traditional Indigenous lands which are currently held under treaty by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

Knowing that colonial legacies continue through various modes of systemic oppression that affect the everyday lives of far too many people, we encourage our communities to take the time to learn about the history and to support the struggles and demands of Indigenous peoples as well as other communities who experience oppression and share the territories we occupy.

Through our programming, we strive to build reciprocal relationships with Indigenous and Afro-descendant communities on and off campus and continually work to improve our anti-racist and anti-hate, equity, and ecological practices. We welcome your suggestions on how we may continue to grow in this regard.