Oral Interview with Susy Naylor for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Helen Aqua. Susy was born in Brooklyn in 1943 and talks about her family history in the city and abroad, as well as her immigration to Canada as an adult. She talks about her education including two nursing degrees which led her to teach nursing upon moving to Winnipeg. Wanting to transition to counselling, Susy moved to Coquitlam and commuted to school in Washington which eventually enabled her to open a private practice. Susy describes her challenges doing art from home as a middle-aged mother and how her outlook on her artistic ability changed as she did more workshops and gained mentorship, albeit still experiencing impostor syndrome. Susy discusses how her paintings don’t truly have stories, but are ambiguous and she loves to hear the interpretations of the viewers. Susy also discusses how participating in a Leonard Cohen themed art show made her realize her difficulties visualizing imagery in her head when she had an idea, helping to clarify her artistic process. She talks about her involvement in galleries and art crawls, and teaching classes to others who question if they can be an artist.
Oral Interview with Julia Lucich for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Bill Gruenthal via remote Zoom call. Julia was born in the Bronx, New York, but was raised primarily in Miami, FL. She speaks briefly about her family history and her immediate family including her children and husband. Julia discusses her education towards sociology and criminology in the United States and Jerusalem and her former career in public administration and as a life insurance agent. She also talks about the beginning of her interest in portraiture art which led to her artistic studies. Julia discusses her work in galleries and art shows, including a gallery in Texas and the Calgary Stampede. She speaks about her family’s relocation from San Jose, CA to Eugene, OR to Salt Spring Island, BC which allowed her to live rurally but close enough to good schooling options for her children. Julia discusses her artistic style as representational portraiture usually done with soft pastels, including her series ‘Party Animals’ which helped kickstart her art career. Julia talks about her teaching workshops in BC, showing Party Animals and the Pooka Project at the Calgary Stampede, and how she decides who she will paint. She closes discussing finding joys in art, even for those who are not artists themselves.
Oral Interview with Jack Rootman for the JMABC Artists Scribe. Interviewed by Carol Herbert via remote Zoom call. Jack describes his early artistic influences attending children’s art classes at the Kost House in Calgary where he grew up. Jack speaks about how he fell in love with sciences in his teens, which lead him to a career in medicine as an ophthalmologist and ophthalmic surgeon. He discusses how his studies by night at Emily Carr aided him in his medical practice by day, but also how attending workshops, and working in his own studio propelled his painting career forward in BC and beyond. Jack talks about the different mediums he works with, including oils and watercolours, and what influences his paintings, like nature and colourscapes. Jack discusses is work in the arts community, including his thematic shows at various galleries and creating a program for having art in hospitals. Jack speaks about advice for other artists and doctors.
Interview with Efrem (Eppy) Rappaport. Interviewed by Debby Freiman for The Scribe, 2018. Eppy talks about the foods he ate growing up, and how he came to own the original Omnitsky Kosher in Winnipeg before opening more stores in Vancouver. He compares the Jewish and non-Jewish clientele in Vancouver to Winnipeg and discusses the difficulties of operating a kosher deli.
Oral history interview with Sally Rogow, who was born in New York, 1930. Sally's grandparents were born somewhere in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Sally's uncle was the first Jewish man to be a Lieutenant Colonel in the Canadian Army, while her mother helped organized women during the Second World War. Sally worked as a teacher, teaching blind and handicap children, eventually advocating for those with Special Needs.
Oral history interview with I.W. who started Chess Brothers Wholesale Fruit and Produce Company, which ran for almost 50 years. He lived in the East End of Vancouver, near Heatley Avenue. I.W. and his brother, were among the founders of Schara Tzedeck Synagogue.
Colour Kodachrome 35mm slide depicts a building in the centre of the image with a building behind it with "Pan Am" written on the top. There are buildings on the left and right sides of the image.
Colour Kodachrome 35mm slide depicts a high-rise building under construction with blue sky in the background. The image is taken from the ground looking up to the top of the building.
