Funded by the Sustainability Innovation Fund at �첥��Ƶ, the program – called Shifting – includes two initiatives: a series of public programs focused on ecology and resilience; and, the creation of a living document that will guide the gallery’s planning, materials, transportation and waste methods.

Clara Halpern, the gallery's assistant curator, says Shifting was inspired by a desire to address climate change anxiety – including her own – by leaning into sources of hope.

Building on the gallery’s relationships with working artists, curators and writers, the first part of the initiative will feature events exploring practical pathways to climate action in the cultural sector. Alongside the launch of this new program, the exhibitions Worlds Away by Anne Duk Hee Jordan and Winter Wheat by D’Andrea Bowie, are currently on view at the gallery and offer perspectives on ecology.

Another key component will be a series of public dialogues organized by the gallery. The first event, on will feature a discussion moderated by Halpern with Kirsty Robertson, Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Museums, Art and Sustainability and director of the Centre for Sustainable Curating at Western University, and conservator Kim Kraczon, whose work focuses on reducing the environmental impact of materials and methods used in conservation, art production and exhibition-making.

Insights from these events will inform the second part of Shifting: the development of a living document focused on guiding the gallery’s operations with sustainable best practices.

In recent years, Halpern notes, resources supporting responsible approaches in the arts sector have emerged from Canadian organizations such as the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts and the Centre for Sustainable Curating, as well as international groups like the Gallery Climate Coalition.

While the Goldfarb Gallery already works to mitigate the environmental impact of its activities – for example, by minimizing waste and reusing or recirculating exhibition-installation materials when possible – it has not yet developed dedicated sustainability resources.

“I wanted to create the gallery’s guidance resource document because in the field of contemporary art it can be challenging, midway through a project and under time constraints, to research different options for more sustainable choices,” says Halpern. “The idea of the document is to have resources and information close at hand at each stage of developing a project.”

Working with Rute Collaborative, a Vancouver-based consultancy that supports museums and cultural organizations working on ecological sustainability, the gallery has been advancing work on the document, structuring it around the various stages of exhibition development and project planning. The project has also benefited from dialogue with specialists on sustainability at York, in particular Associate Professor Ian Garrett who teaches ecological design for performance and is the director of the Centre for Sustainable Practice in the Arts.

Discussions coming out of the speaker series will also inform guiding principles in the document, alongside insights from partners, artists, students and faculty at �첥��Ƶ.

Once finalized later this year, Halpern will begin using and sharing the document while continuing to refine the information within as new research, practices and materials emerge. She hopes in doing so, it will evolve into a resource that inspires others, beyond the Joan and Martin Goldfarb Gallery.

“In reckoning with the scale of the climate change crisis, it can be difficult to envision our potential to make meaningful change,” says Halpern. “The hope for this project is to not get stuck in feeling powerless, and instead make shifts and create pathways to climate action and integrating more sustainable choices in the work we do.”

Featured image: Installation view at The Goldfarb Gallery of ��’A�Ի���������Ƿɾ���'����Re-member. Photo Credit: Hao Nguyen.

The post Goldfarb Gallery supports climate action through sustainable art practices appeared first on YFile.

With more than 300 works spanning early Kinngait (formerly known as Cape Dorset) printmaking to contemporary sculpture, the gallery’s permanent collection offers York community members and the public a rare chance to engage directly with the evolving story of Indigenous art.

This year, the gallery is taking further steps to connect the wider community with these works. A newly launched online database now allows users to explore most of the collection from anywhere, while expanded programming – including public tours and educational events – invites deeper engagement. “It’s very intuitive, and we have a lot of images – and while not every piece has been photographed yet, the majority are available to view,” says Jenifer Papararo, the gallery’s director and curator.

The origins of the University’s Inuit art collection date to 1969, when it acquired a sculpture in black stone, ivory and leather by Margaret Uyauperq Aniksak, an acclaimed artist from Arviat, Nunavut. This initial acquisition marked the beginning of a significant commitment to Inuit art.

The collection expanded rapidly in the early 1970s, with the University acquiring more than 300 prints and stone carvings produced by artists from the Kinngait Co-operative, including works by Pitseolak Ashoona, Kenojuak Ashevak, Johnny Inukpuk and Qaqaq (Kaka) Ashoona. Many of these pieces reflect the thriving artistic communities of Canada’s north and the pivotal role of artist co-operatives in the development of Inuit art. The Hudson’s Bay Company, through its trading posts and partnerships, also played a central part in bringing Inuit carvings to southern audiences, shaping the early market for these works.

In recent decades, York’s collection has expanded through significant donations from longtime supporters Joan and Martin Goldfarb, who contributed sculptures by artists such as David Ruben Piqtoukun, David General and Abraham Anghik Ruben. These newer acquisitions were featured in the inaugural exhibition at the gallery’s new facilities, which opened in autumn 2024. The gallery has also added important works by Carl Beam, purchased in 2004 and first exhibited as part of the “” series during the same season.

Complementing the gallery’s digital initiatives, the Visible Vault (now with a ) – introduced as part of the expansion – offers students and faculty the opportunity to engage directly with the artworks for research and teaching. This approach allows the collection to serve not only as an exhibition resource, but also as a living archive for scholarship and creative practice.

The Goldfarb Gallery’s approach to collecting and exhibiting Indigenous art is shaped by ongoing relationships with artists. Papararo points to a recent acquisition by Lori Blondeau, who gathered stones from beneath the site of the gallery’s new building before construction began. Blondeau’s practice often involves collecting stones as a way of honouring the histories of a place. The largest of these stones, first shown in her “” exhibition last year, now sit on the gallery’s grounds as a marker of the land’s long Indigenous stewardship.

For National Indigenous History Month, the gallery’s programming also includes Andrea Carlson’s exhibition “,” and “,” a solo show by Vietnamese American artist Tuấn Andrew Nguyễn. Nguyễn’s exhibition follows the story of a historic canoe taken from the Indigenous people of Luf Island, Papua New Guinea, and its significance to their descendants.

“We want to show that Indigenous art is not a single story,” Papararo says. “It’s many stories, connected by history, land and ongoing practice.”

Visit The Goldfarb Gallery's complete .

The post Goldfarb Gallery collection brings Indigenous art into focus appeared first on YFile.