April 14, 2010 / 30 Nissan 5770 

USA AND INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS UNITE TO REFLECT ISRAEL EXPERIENCE

MASA program students to hold exhibition at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem

A group of thirteen students from the USA and worldwide will be unveiling a special exhibition of their art and design work later this month at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, that reflects their variety of influences and the unity of their Israel experience. The grand opening will take place at the Academy at 6.30pm on 21 April, and the exhibition runs until 2 May in the main galleries of the Academy's Fine Art department.

The students – eight from the USA, two from Australia, two from Russia and one from Denmark – are closing the time they have spent at Bezalel on the 2009/10 MASA program with their exhibition, entitled "Fingerprints". The exhibition showcases their work based on the notion that we come from all over the world with very different influences and backgrounds, but through art we are all united.

The work on show spans all the creative disciplines on offer at Bezalel, from fine art to screen-based video art, via photography, ceramics, industrial design, photography and fashion. It serves to demonstrate the full range of exposure that students on the MASA program receive at Bezalel to all forms of art and design, and reinforces the Academy's ethos of expanding horizons and developing understanding through the mixing of techniques and cultural influences.

The Bezalel Art experience for MASA students is designed for young international artists aged between 18 and 30 who are yearning to pursue their passion abroad. The program offers students an opportunity to discover the world of art and design in a setting that emphasizes both academic and cultural growth in the holy city of Jerusalem. Students on the program choose either a Fine Art track, involving courses on sculpture, drawing, painting, printing, performance and illustration, or a course of advanced arts and design studies for applicants with at least two years of university-level art and design experience.

Both program tracks at Bezalel provide a dynamic supplementary curriculum, including field trips, tours, mifgashim – encounters – with Israeli peers, celebrations of Jewish and Israeli national holidays, social and cultural events throughout Israel, and educational seminars on topics ranging from Jewish and Israeli identity to religion and the Jewish state, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and trends in the Israeli job market.

The MASA program, which is sponsored by the Jewish Agency and the Government of Israel, enables young Jews (18 to 30) from around the world to build a lasting relationship with Israel, strengthen their Jewish identity, and gain meaningful and beneficial experiences by participating in a long-term program in Israel. MASA provides young Jewish adults with connections to programs, grants and scholarships towards program fees, as well as support, activities, workshops and resources while here in Israel.

Liv Sperber, Director of International Relations at Bezalel says: “We're excited to be hosting the Fingerprints exhibition which showcases some of the most important aspects of Bezalel's work – nurturing talent, bringing people together from a diversity of backgrounds and sharing the heritage that our world-class Academy offers. Fingerprints also demonstrates the wonderful opportunity offered to young people from overseas to come and experience the Bezalel Academy and take positive impressions of Israel back to their countries of origin. We are particularly proud that many of the Bezalel MASA participants choose to remain in Israel after their semester or year-long stay, and apply to be accepted to a full degree program at Bezalel.”

For further information about Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, or for photos, contact:
Adam Murray at Koteret Group, Tel Aviv, Israel, on 00972 542 152 654 / adam_m@koteret.com or
Caroline Cohen at Koteret Group, Tel Aviv, Israel on 00972 54 483 8233 / caroline_c@koteret.com

Notes for editors: About Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem

Bezalel is Israel’s leading academy of art and design, and one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world. Established in 1906, with the support of the founder of Modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, Bezalel is the source of some of the most creative talent emerging from the Middle-East. Bezalel has built an international network of art and design excellence. Its alumni exhibit their work in the world’s leading venues, and the Academy is a focus and a destination for students and the creative community from across the globe.

Bezalel has a broad and multifaceted scope of professional and artistic activities involving both pioneering state-of-the-art design methods as well as ancient techniques. The academy offers workshops unparalleled anywhere else in Israel in a variety of fields that have seen many changes in the past decades: industrial design, architecture, animation & video art, visual communications, fine art, photography fashion & jewelry, history & theory and ceramics & glass.

Both the faculty and the student body are driven by a passion to create and by their meticulous attention to quality and excellence. These two cornerstones, plus the Academy’s commitment to fostering creativity and opportunity amongst all communities in Israel, have positioned Bezalel at the center of Israel’s creative and artistic scene, making it instrumental in shaping and enriching the country’s cultural identity.
www.bezalel.ac.il