Gallery showcases Israeli art

Taking a large leap in faith, a Berkeley couple has opened the only modern Israeli art gallery on the West Coast.

"I don't know whether we're on to something or whether this will be a total fiasco," joked Michelle Schwartz, co-owner with her husband, Lawrence White. They took that jump from collecting what they love to showing it when they threw open the doors to MiLa Fine Arts at 1307 Solano Ave. in Albany this summer.

MiLa will feature only Israeli artists, including Mordechai Ardon, Ruven Rubin, Moshe Castel, Ben Avram and David Reed. The gallery offers a selection of prints, lithographs, paintings and acrylics.

Both Schwartz and White have a long-standing interest in Israeli art, which White, a physician, began collecting 25 years ago. And although her interest in the art initially stemmed from her husband's, Schwartz confessed, "As I was learning more about it, I fell in love with the style."

White, 61, said his goals for the gallery are twofold: "We hope to promote both established and new Israeli artists, and we hope to do shows and fund-raisers for local and national Jewish and Zionist organizations."

In an art world where the words "Jewish" and "Israeli" are seemingly synonymous, MiLa stands apart. The gallery owners carry Israeli artwork of all kinds, regardless of whether or not the content is particularly "Jewish."

"We're not emphasizing Judaica," White said flatly. "There will be little overlap with the three Judaica places in the Bay Area. Nor are we doing what Afikomen is," he said, referring to the Berkeley store that carries Jewish books, ritual objects and more. He said MiLa will concentrate on Israeli artwork, although the gallery will not avoid Jewish content.

The 43-year-old Schwartz is used to the question, "What makes Israeli artwork Israeli?"

"I always explain that this is contemporary art. It just happens to be Israeli," she said.

Schwartz said the artwork "has close spiritual and emotional ties to Israel. There is not a lot of Holocaust work because most of the artists focus on the peace conflict and other more contemporary visions.

"In Dorit Feldman's pieces," she said, highlighting one particular artist, "metaphysics and science, such as double-helixes, are prominent. She does a lot of commissioned pieces for high-tech industry in Israel."

Her love of Israeli art has grown so deep that Schwartz has taught several hands-on art classes to the second grade at Tehiyah Day School in El Cerrito.

Schwartz, a public policy analyst with a medical background, found the students were eager to learn. She is now working with principal Revira Singer to expand the program to kindergarten through eighth grades.

In addition to teaching art classes at Tehiyah, White and Schwartz hope to offer programs for adults at MiLa.

Other future plans call for expanding their collection to include sculpture and photography.