TORONTO, April 18, 2001 -- York University President Lorna R. Marsden and Chair of the Board of Governors Marshall Cohen are pleased to announce that philanthropists Martin and Joan Goldfarb have made a $3.75-million donation to benefit the university’s Faculty of Fine Arts.
The gift consists of a monetary contribution as well as a significant collection of art works that will substantially enhance the Fine Arts Faculty’s resources for teaching and learning. Capital improvements enabled by the gift will include a complete renovation of the painting and drawing studios, and the creation of the Joan Goldfarb Visual Arts Study Centre, which will make the donated art, as well as additional works from the Art Gallery of York University, accessible to students and researchers.
Complementing and strengthening the University’s current holdings, the collection donated by the Goldfarbs comprises 67 works of art, mainly from the post-War period. It includes paintings by Paul-Emile Borduas, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Milton Avery and Robert Motherwell, prints by Helen Frankenthaler, sculptures by Inuit artist David Ruben Piqtoukun, and a Degas bronze.
"This is a signature contribution that strongly supports the work of our graduate and undergraduate programs in visual arts and art history," said Fine Arts Dean Phillip Silver. "We are thrilled to be able to improve our facilities and enrich the scholarly resources available to our students and faculty."
In recognition of this exceptional gift, the Faculty’s home building will be named the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts.
Dr. Marsden extended her personal thanks to the Goldfarbs, noting: "Martin and Joan Goldfarb have long been committed supporters of York University. This gift is but the most recent demonstration of that support, for which we are most grateful."
Joan Goldfarb said, "Martin and I are pleased and proud to be associated with York. It’s one of Canada’s great universities, and we are happy to be able to help advance the work it is doing. It is our hope that our gift will inspire others to follow suit in supporting York."
The Goldfarbs’ association with York extends beyond the exemplary record of leadership and volunteerism Martin Goldfarb has shown during his 12 years of service on the Board of Governors. Two of their children are graduates of the University, and Martin Goldfarb served for several years as head of the York University Parents’ Association. The Goldfarb Corporation, of which Martin Goldfarb is founder and Chairman, President and CEO, recently donated its archive to York University. Known as generous benefactors in the community, Martin and Joan Goldfarb have supported the Centre for Jewish Studies, a lecture series on public opinion research, and the Fine Arts capital campaign at York.
Joan Goldfarb’s long association with the arts includes her membership with the Canadian Museums Association and the National Museums of Canada. She was a member of the board of the McMichael Gallery for 12 years, serving as chair from 1993 until her retirement from the board in 1997.
The Goldfarb gift is the latest in a series of significant donations to York, including: a $3-million endowment from the Historica Foundation of Canada, enabled by the University’s Chancellor Avie Bennett, toward the funding of two Chairs in Canadian history and Canadian literature; a $1.5-million donation from the Hellenic Heritage Foundation and the Greek Community of Metropolitan Toronto toward the establishment of a chair in Hellenic Studies; and a $5-million gift from philanthropist Seymour Schulich to support the construction of a new building for York’s business school.
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For more information, please contact:
Cim Nunn
Director, Media Relations
York University
416-736-2100, ext. 22087
cimnunn@yorku.ca
YU/047/01
