TORONTO, November 27, 2001 -- York University will officially open the newly-named Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts today in recognition of the Goldfarbs’ $3.75-million gift to the University’s Faculty of Fine Arts – an impressive collection of art works and a donation towards capital improvements.
The art collection will provide students and researchers a rare opportunity for direct, hands-on access to original works of art for study purposes. It includes 67 culturally significant pieces, mainly from the postwar period: 30 paintings, 12 sculptures, 23 works on paper and two textiles by Canadian and international artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle, Paul-Emile Borduas, Jean-Paul Lemieux, Andy Warhol and Milton Avery.
The centrepiece of the renovations is the creation of the Joan Goldfarb Visual Arts Study Centre, a state-of-the-art research, display and storage facility. Managed jointly by the Faculty of Fine Arts and the Art Gallery of York University, the study centre will house the donated Goldfarb collection as well as other works from the University’s collection.
Other capital improvements enabled by the gift include 15 individual studios for graduate students, a new seminar room, and the refurbishment of the drawing and painting studios in the department of visual arts.
York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden expressed York’s gratitude for the Goldfarbs’ continued philanthropic support. "We are very grateful to Joan and Martin Goldfarb for their most generous gift, which will benefit our students and researchers for generations to come," she said.
Faculty of Fine Arts Dean Phillip Silver said, "The Goldfarbs’ gift of their outstanding art collection and their financial commitment towards improving and expanding our visual arts facilities has truly enriched the resources available to our students and faculty, and will further enhance York’s national and international reputation for innovation and excellence in visual arts education."
"I strongly believe that the arts are fundamental to a civilized and free society. They teach us how to see, how to hear and most of all, how to feel," said Joan Goldfarb.
The Goldfarbs are longstanding supporters of York University. Two of their children are graduates of the University, and Martin Goldfarb served as head of the York University Parents’ Association and was for 12 years a member of the Board of Governors. He is chairman of the marketing research firm Goldfarb Consultants Ltd. and the founding president and CEO of the Goldfarb Corporation, which 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. She is president of Joan Goldfarb Design Limited and also serves as president and director of Extension Investments Limited.
A reception marking the official opening of the Joan & Martin Goldfarb Centre for Fine Arts will take place today, Tuesday, November 27, 4 to 6 p.m. in the Centre for Fine Arts Lobby, York University, 4700 Keele Street. The event will include a tour of the study centre and renovated studios, as well as highlights of the collection.
-30-
For more information, please contact:
| Cim Nunn | |
| Director, Media Relations | |
| York University | |
| 416-736-2100, ext. 22087 | |
| cimnunn@yorku.ca |
YU/130/01
