A COLLABORATION BETWEEN RICHMOND BALLET, MATTER OF COLOR, AND BINNS OF WILLIAMSBURG

When Thomas Smith of Binns of Williamsburg, the most exclusive fashion store in Williamsburg’s Historic Triangle , and Eli shaharabany, a social entrepreneur, visited Jaffa port in Israel, they wandered into one of the port's hangars, where the annual exhibition of the Matter of Color group took place. they liked what they saw, bought a few paintings, and went back to the USA. Little did they realize that this accidental meeting would be the starting point of a joint journey. But Tom, Eli and curator Bruria Hassner started on that day an unusual and fruitful collaboration - the Art for Understanding project.

Art for Understanding is a year-long exchange between Minds In Motion social venture of the Richmond Ballet in Virginia and Matter of Color. These two unique and culturally diverse groups will focus on empathy and understanding through letter exchanges, painting, and dance explorations, as well as research about each other’s background and cultures. This rich connection between communities across the world from one another will culminate in March with the Israeli painters’ mission to Virginia. This trip provides a unique opportunity for the artists from Israel to move with the young dancers from Virginia and the Minds In Motion dancers to create art with this unique and dedicated group of painters.

As part of this exchange, Matter of Color artists will create a special exhibition depicting their own interpretations of empathy and understanding. This series of paintings, over 120 in total, will be auctioned online throughout the month of February 2018 as well as at the March 15th Art for Understanding celebration event sponsored by Binns of Williamsburg. Proceeds from the event will go to support the Minds In Motion program.

Thomas Smith, Eli Shaharabany and Bruria Hassner presenting the idea to some of the group members