Gina Godfrey

Gina Godfrey Biography
March 16th, 2008

Gina calls her work Popography. First she captures the essence through the lens of the camera and transforms it into unique pop art compositions and prints it by giclee on canvas. Instead of a brush, Gina uses a melange of techno-fusion, blending digital photography, fine art principles and pop expressionism. As in her earlier silkscreen portraits, Gina’s work is reminiscent of the highly recognizable stylings of pop legend Andy Warhol. She has embellished the master’s concepts through new computer techniques unattainable in Warhol’s lifetime. Gina's work can be viewed at www.ginagodfreygallery.com .

Gina has always been mesmerized by methods of reproduction, still life and drawing. Her portraiture began professionally at 18 years old when she sold charcoal portraits in the summer as a camp art director while still studying art at Central Technical School in Toronto taking the four-year commercial art course. Teachers such as famous Canadian artist Doris McCarthy have had a great influence on her work. She learned the art of portraiture well from artists and teacher Robert Ross.

Over the years, Gina has done interior design after taking a 3-year night course. She also studied fashion illustration, photography, public relations and journalism. She was advertising manager of Carswell, Law Book Publishers for 6 years. Watercolour was a favourite medium for many years and she became President of the Willowdale Group of Artists while raising her 3 young sons. In 1996, she studied Printmaking at The Ontario College of Art and her direction changed. She found a mini silkscreen method with Art Gocco. She took a mini course in it and went on to win a silver award in Japan for Handmade Printed Work. Her studies in art, design, writing, and photography have been a lifelong interest and she excelled in them all. That was just the creative side of her.

There is also a pragmatic side of Gina. In 1979, she and her husband Paul Godfrey, then Metro Chairman established The Herbie Fund at The Hospital For Sick Children in Toronto in 1979 in response to the plight of a child born in the Puerto Rican ghetto in New York who required life saving surgery but it was unattainable for him under his circumstances. Paul and Gina arranged his flight to Toronto and Dr. Robert Filler, the new chief of surgery at SickKids who had just come from Boston Children’s Hospital did his life saving surgery of separating his windpipe from his oesophagus. Torontonians opened their wallets to help defray the costs. Paul went across the street from City Hall and opened an account under the name of “The Herbie Fund”. After all the expenses were paid, there was $17,000 left. Soon they found there were many other children from around the world that needed life saving or life-altering surgery that was unattainable in their place of birth because they didn’t have the expertise and the funds. So Herbie Fund began but required constant fundraising. In 1983, Gina put together 27 of her friends and began Operation Herbie, the fundraising arm of The Herbie Fund. Operation Herbie has now funded close to 600 children from 87 countries around the world. Each year SickKids operates on approximately 35 of these children. Telehealth was established in Trinidad just a few years ago to help others who would have assistance in the Caribbean via satellite hooked up at the University of West Indies Hospital and SickKids in Toronto. The scope of The Herbie Fund includes education, teaching and research now.

By 1988, Gina received a federal appointment as a Citizenship Court Judge. She served the government for 8 years and in that time she did approximately 40,000 citizenship hearings, swore in approximately 80,000 new Canadian citizens and visited many schools as an outreach program. One of her judgments changed the face of citizenship with a landmark decision that would be appealed and upheld to consider filing taxes as proof of residence, a pre-requisite to Canadian citizenship.

In the past year ORT Toronto held its annual Local Hero in a Global Village function, and the award was bestowed on long-time ORT supporter Gina Godfrey. The award is given to a Torontonian who created change at home and abroad. The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Honourable David Onley, said: “It was inevitable that a woman like Gina Godfrey, with her boundless energy and passion for her community would be drawn to ORT Toronto… I commend the members of ORT Toronto for your commitment to the education of children and adults in some of the world’s most impoverished communities.”
Gina requested that the funds raised go partly to the Gina Godfrey Mediation Project locally, in an area of town where students were at risk and came from underprivileged backgrounds. The rest of the funds are earmarked for the Kadoorie School in the Northern Galilee whose student population includes Bedouin, Druze, Jews and Muslims.
Gina said, I am humbled at being a small cog in a huge global organization. What appeals to me is that is closes the gap and makes the world smaller. Education is the key to making the world a better place, and that is what ORT does.

Also in 2007, well-respected Canadian artist, Gina Godfrey was the first international artist to show at the red-carpeted halls of the Jerusalem Theater, entitled “Elements of Sand and Water” as a solo show. Gina also had the distinct honour to lead the first Canadian mission to Jerusalem for The Jerusalem Foundation. Steve Solomon, head of the Foundation’s Canadian desk, suggested that although God designated for Jerusalem nine of the ten portions of beauty in the world, the artistry on display was so extraordinary that “we’ve tipped the balance even further”.

Gina’s works are on permanent display in the Ohel Moishe Synagogue in Shanghai, China. She has works in Israel and throughout North America including The Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto. Gina has also served on many boards including The National Arts Centre in Ottawa, The Art Gallery of Ontario and The Toronto Zoo Society.

She would say that she is most proud of her family. She is the wife of Paul, CEO and President of Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club. She has three married sons and three granddaughters. Her eldest son, Rob, a graduate lawyer and with an MBA is an entrepreneur. Noah is her second son. With his Harvard MBA he is focused on start-up companies and is President of an internet based company, www.Gigpark.com
Her youngest son, Jay graduated from McGill with a business degree, worked in banking in New York before embarking in fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York.
Jay has quickly garnered fame for his red-carpet designs. She is also proud of her three wonderful daughters-in-law she refers to as “Gina’s Angels”.

Gina is an artist featured in the show, the sale of her work will benefit the Peace Preschool in Jerusalem. This show is your opportunity to help children who have not yet been tainted by the hatred of religion to grow and develop, much like a piece of art develops in the eye of the artist, naturally and sequentially.

Jerusalem Defined a gala/fundraiser for the Peace Preschool in Jerusalem takes place Monday, April 28th, 2008, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at System 4 Gallery, 70 Wingold Ave. To purchase your ticket for $60, please contact System 4 at 416 741 5542 or info@system 4.ca


Jerusalem Defined runs until May 31st, 2008