Synagogue art fair
Members of Congregation Beth David in Saratoga held an artist fair on Sunday to raise money for charity.
One room of the synagogue was lined with a variety of items by artisans specializing in fruit preserves, writing, sculpting, crocheting, jewelry-making and photography.
Rabbi David Kunin said 20% of the proceeds from the fair would be donated to United Indonesian Jewish Communities. He said he had worked closely with the Jewish community in Indonesia, and the funding would help them deal with the isolation they’re facing and the difficulty of being Jewish in a mostly Muslim country.
“We decided that (the art fair was) a nice way of bringing together the talent of the community to highlight people who are interested in showing their work — photographers, sculptures, wood carvers, potters — just building a nice way of celebrating the creativity of the community,” Kunin said.
Artist Lance Glasser was showing his bronze sculptures of people and Biblical figures.
“What I’m really into is the dynamics of the motion,” Glasser said as he traced the curve of the spine of one of his sculptures. “There’s a line that comes across here, and that gives it a rhythm and a movement, and that’s what I’m into.”
Donna Frankel, 73, of Saratoga offered a wide array of fruit preserves, from apple to guava to persimmon to plum. She said she wanted to uphold this “dying art” of food preservation and make sure that the fruit didn’t go to waste.
“I do all of this because this is what we used to do in the olden days, and nothing should go to waste,” Frankel said. “To me, it’s a sin to waste anything.”
Montalvo holiday event
Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga is hosting a free holiday boutique featuring local vendors, vintage items and other winter festivities Nov. 21-23.
The Yuletide Boutique will be open Nov. 21-22, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gift items include seasonal art and decorations, collectibles, photography, clothing, crafts and specialty gourmet food items. There will also be a 50% off clearance sale for all remaining items in the Vintage Treasures area on Sunday, Nov. 23, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.