EXPERIENCE THE GALILEE ARAB JEWISH ARTISTS COOPERATIVE

We are a group of about ten to fifteen Jewish and Arab artists living in the Galilee starting a collaborative art community.  The members include painters, sculptors, photographers, mixed media artists, ceramic artists, artists working as full time artists and those working as art therapists and art teachers in various frameworks. The goal is to create a shared space where artists from both cultures will meet and create, and that the collaborative process will feed each artist's individual work and will be a starting point for joint creative projects. The overall goal is to generate meaningful and sustainable relationships between artists from neighboring Jewish and Arab villages to contribute to better relations between the communities and shared society in Israel, while at the same time developing fruitful creative projects that serve both communities and connect between them.
The project is starting with regular art workshops for the artists hosted by different artists in their studios and homes, where the group builds trust and clarifies their shared vision for the project. The next steps will be developing a concrete workplan based on the group's decision of areas of focus.
Potential areas of focus include: - establishing a permanent shared studio space and weekly or more shared studio time; curating a joint exhibition; developing a new model for teaching art workshops for the community in the artists' studio observing artists at work; bringing together local Jewish and Arab children for joint art workshops; and developing ecological art projects between neighboring Jewish and Arab villages in the forests between the villages.
The project was developed in collaboration with the local councils of the Jewish and Arab villages involved and has their support.
We strive to build productive relationships and make a positive impact with all of our pursuits.