A site-specific textile installation by Montreal-based artists Sultanna Krispil and Shannon Stride, Beginner’s Luck responds to the legacies of the H. Fisher & Fils garment supply shop, its final proprietor Esther Fisher, the history of Montreal’s garment industry, and their own experiences exploring the layered emotions of starting something new. 

Sultanna and Shannon were asked by the Museum of Jewish Montreal to create a new work from a broad prompt: What does the H. Fisher & Fils site and its story inspire? What do you want passersby to know, see or feel about the site? For the artists, answers emerged as they dove into the oral histories and research materials about the site. 

Esther Fisher, who ran the shop from the 1990s until 2022, took over the store well into her middle age following her husband’s passing. Her stories of this time, in the early stages of her proprietorship – her humour, excitement, trepidation, struggles, and successes – all became fodder for Shannon and Sultanna’s collaboration. Drawing on a range of materials and symbols, their layered fibre-based work connects Esther’s experience with their own as emerging artists working on their first large-scale installation.

While each layer has meaning in its own right, Beginner’s Luck becomes a playful and colourful representation of the historical and emotional tensions of this site and its stories. Two illustrated rug panels frame the piece as the outermost layer. Here, Sultanna draws on the language of good luck charms to create a visual language of protective talismans, connecting herself and us to Esther. While some are instantly recognizable (a four-leaf clover, a Magic 8 Ball), others are more specific to Esther’s life and the shop: her New Balance sneakers,the fabric shears. Deeper into the vitrine hangs two handwoven tapestries by Shannon Stride constructed from measuring tapes found in the shelves of the shop. The works and Shannon’s process reflect the deep lineage of Jewish makers and textile workers along the Main, while literally weaving in the tools of their trade.

A fragment of Esther’s handwriting floats as the final layer of the installation. Lifted from the walls of the shop and assembled using applique techniques, Esther’s list presents as a cryptic note. The sequence feels intimate: a record of movement through the world, a strategy for holding it together. By placing Mme Fisher at the centre of the work, Beginner’s Luck becomes a quiet ledger of what once was: a soft proof that something meaningful began here. Beginner’s Luck is the inaugural installation in the Fisher vitrine, beginning a year of contemporary art interventions drawing from Jewish culture and heritage as it relates to this celebrated storefront.