Stories of Spadina walking tour in front of the historic Beth Israel Anshei Minsk synagogue on St. Andrew’s Street in Kensington Market. Photo: Jeremy Kohm, 2013

DISCOVER LITTLE-KNOWN STORIES OF TORONTO'S CHINESE & JEWISH PAST & PRESENT

SUNDAYS, APRIL 29 AND MAY 13

Inspired by A Place of Wholesome Amusement, Shellie Zhang's installation for the FENTSTER window gallery, FENTSTER and the Ontario Jewish Archives (OJA) team up with Toronto's leading historian on Chinatown and experienced tour guide, Arlene Chan who has published seven books about the history, culture, and traditions of the Chinese in Canada. Chan and the OJA's Miriam Borden will share insights into the Jewish and Chinese past of Kensington Market and Spadina with a special focus on the building at the corner of Dundas and Spadina that is the subject of the exhibition, A Place for Wholesome Amusement. The tour will begin with a brief curator talk at FENTSTER.

The exhibition and the related walking tours are presented together by FENTSTER & Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre

A Place of Wholesome Amusement by Shellie Zhang @ FENTSTER, 402 College Street

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

In a striking new neon light installation, Shellie Zhang reimagines marquee signage to represent two significant cultural institutions established by Chinese and Jewish newcomers to Toronto.

Toronto-based and Beijing-born multidisciplinary artist Shellie Zhang was invited by the FENTSTER window gallery to mine the extensive holdings of the Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre (OJA) for intersections between Jewish and Chinese histories in Toronto. Her research at the OJA led to the building on the north-east corner of Dundas and Spadina that functioned as a cultural destination for both communities. First known as the Standard Theatre, the venue opened as a Yiddish theatre in 1922 and five decades later hosted Chinese cinema as the Golden Harvest Theatre. The artist considers how one building served as a locus for cultural expression and cohesion for two different communities. Accompanied by historic information detailing over 75 years of the building’s continuous operation together with reproductions of archival materials, the exhibition surfaces immigrant narratives embedded in the architecture of the Kensington Market-Chinatown neighbourhood.

More information: http://fentster.org

Questions? Problems? Email info@fentster.org

Photo of the Golden Harvest Theatre, 285 Spadina Ave, circa 1975. Courtesy of Colin Geddes

ROUTE NOTES

This walk will take approximately 90 to 120 minutes. We'll meet at FENTSTER (402 College St.) in front of the window gallery and end the walk at the site of the former The Standard Theatre (northeast corner of Spadina Ave. and Dundas St). There are busy sidewalks on this route. Please note that one stop includes a special visit inside an existing synagogue that has stairs leading up the sanctuary. Accommodation can be made for those with mobility issues. Please contact us, info@fentster.org

ABOUT ONTARIO JEWISH ARCHIVES

The Ontario Jewish Archives, Blankenstein Family Heritage Centre, a department of UJA Federation, is the largest repository of Jewish life in Canada. The OJA acquires, preserves and makes accessible the records that chronicle our province’s Jewish history.

ABOUT FENTSTER

Presenting site-specific installations of contemporary art connected to the Jewish experience, FENTSTER (Yiddish for "window") is an independent, artist-run exhibition space located in the storefront window of Makom: Creative Downtown Judaism. Makom is a diverse, grassroots, downtown Toronto community fusing Jewish tradition and progressive values.