Tamar Zenith

Tamar Zenith (born December 7, 1970) is a pioneering contemporary art dealer and the Director of Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art in Calgary, Canada. She has three decade’s experience as a Canadian Art gallerist, collector, advocate for artists, and philanthropist. Newzones specializes in process-oriented artwork featuring painting, photography, and sculpture by prominent Canadian and international artists. 
Throughout her career, Zenith has brought recognition and market success to many contemporary visual and conceptual artists and showcased multiple modern and contemporary art luminaries including Michael Batty, Dianne Bos, Cathy Daley, Franco DeFrancesca, Bradley Harms, Marie Lannoo, Joshua Jensen Nagle, Alex Katz, William Perehudoff, Julian Schnabel, Kevin Sonmor and Deborah Kass, to name a few.
Zenith has been featured in several media outlets including The Globe and Mail, the Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette, Western Living Magazine , Azure Magazine, the National Post, Maclean's Magazine, Avenue Magazine, Canadian Art Magazine, Galleries West Magazine, and Border Crossing Magazine, amongst others.
==Early life and education==
Zenith was born on December 7, 1970, to Helen and Leonard Zenith.. She attended the Calgary Jewish Academy till 1983 and then enrolled in the West Island College, where she completed high school. In 1988 Zenith was accepted at Mcgill University, Montreal, Quebec where she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce. 
==Career==
While graduating from University in 1992, Zenith, along with her mother, established Newzones Gallery Of Contemporary Art. In 1997 they hired Peter Lawrence Wood, a renowned architect, to create a site specific new “home”/building for Newzones Gallery of Contemporary art on Eleventh Avenue in the Design District of Calgary, Canada.
Zenith as a passionate visual arts collector has contributed to bringing forth young talent across the country. She has gained recognition for presenting museum-quality exhibitions of Canadian and International contemporary art featuring numerous artists such as Jack Bush, William Perehudoff, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Cathy Daley, Tom Dean, Joshua Jensen Nagle, Marie Lannoo, Kevin Sonmor, and Dianne Bos, to name a few. 
In 2012, Zenith established the Newzones Gallery of Contemporary Art Fund at The Calgary Foundation in honor of the 20th year in business. This fund offers a yearly scholarship to a fourth-year student, who apart from achieving academic excellence also gives back to the community at the Alberta University of the Arts. The fund also contributes to a vast range of charitable organizations that support Calgary’s Community through the Calgary Foundation.
Throughout her career, Zenith has diligently worked to promote the gallery’s artists around the world via her gallery Newzones, which is considered one of North America’s leading contemporary commercial art galleries and at exhibiting at prestigious International art fairs. . Apart from that, Zenith has been a guest lecturer/speaker who talks about the importance of collecting art and women in business. She has addressed the masses at several events and venues including the University of Calgary, Glenbow Museum, Nova Chemicals, Cenovus Energy, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, and others. Zenith has also been a Portfolio Reviewer on several occasions for the Exposure Photo Festival in Calgary and has also sat on jury committees for the Canada Council for the Arts.
Zenith was also featured in “Raising Your Business: A Canadian Woman’s Guide to Entrepreneurship,” a book about female entrepreneurs by Joanne Thomas Yaccato. She has been named a Fashion Calgary Ambassador. Not only that, Zenith has been an Aids Calgary board member, Chancellor’s Club board member at the University of Calgary, member of the President’s circle at the Alberta College of Art and Design, and a member of the prestigious YEO. She is an “Innovator” Donor Circle member of Contemporary Calgary, Calgary, Canada and together they share the vision of “access to, and engagement with art helps produce the type of global, cultural city that benefits all Calgarians and Canadians.”
==Awards and recognition==
Zenith is the recipient of the 2013 inaugural West Island College Alumni Achievement Award.
* 2018 - Avenue Magazine “Best Dressed”
* 2015 - Calgary Fashion Ambassador 
==Personal life==
Zenith is married to Blair Laven, and they have a son named Zen Bernard Laven. The family lives in Calgary, Canada, in an architectural house designed by Peter Lawrence Wood.
==In the media==
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==References==
==External links==
* Official website
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Category:1970 births
Category:Canadian art dealers
Category:Canadian artists
Category:Canadian philanthropists
Category:McGill University alumni